IRON NINJA
by Packerfan95
Summary: All of his life, Zane thought he was the only nindroid in all of Ninjago, but when a terrorist group known as the Mandarin rises and targets him, it's up to him to uncover the final designs of his father that they want from him. But can he succeed before they obtain him for the ultimate weapon and what is the mysterious suit of iron that had come to his aid against the Mandarin?
1. Prologue: Wake-up Zane

**Hey everyone, I am back with the newest story of my superhero series. I have done Cole as Hulk, Kai as Ghost Rider, Jay as Spiderman and now it is Zane's turn as the hero. With the title saying it all, if you didn't get it, he's Iron Man. And how is he going to be Iron Man, well stay with my story and you shall find out how he'll go as the iron suited nindroid. And as a bonus I give you a soundtrack you'll love for this opening chapter. The link is watch?v=jGoacTNIRDs and when you see the link, enjoy. I present to you, IRON NINJA!**

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 **Prologue: Wake-up Zane**

*Snow drifted and swayed across the grey clouds of winter. The frozen droplets of ice fell down from the sky to eventually land on the white covered ground of freshly fallen snow. The area the snowflakes have landed seemed bare like the Frozen Wastelands, but it wasn't. In the surrounding area stood tall, slim white trees with black stripes stretching around the smooth bark; standing tall and bare without its leaves sheltering from the snow. But yet again, the leaves hardly appear as it always acts like winter every day. Sunlight would break through the grey clouds, but the next it'll be gone. That must be why the Birchwood Forest would be neutral to inhabit to live, except the mysterious Treehorn creatures that say to roam around and blend with the woods itself. But only one though who would seek shelter in this labyrinth with his two sons.

Deep within the slim trees of the forest stands a tree that seems out of place. The width of the tree seemed much larger than more others and even taller. Even the bark may seem natural, but it's got more of a metallic touch to it. Why was that?

Inside the large hollow tree home had a winding staircase that chambered down to a new level below the earth to a single room home and had a workshop bench. A man, young in age, with greasy brown hair combed back on his head with dark blue eyes sheathed behind a pair of wire-rimmed lenses. A lab coat was draped over his pressed shirt and brown pants as it gives the hint he's a scientist of some sorts. Well he's more of an engineer in the science field. And he was even close to the end of his last invention.

Sparks danced off the body of his creation as he carefully connected the wires to the many switches inside the chest cavity. Sweat precipitated on his thin browns with his eyes narrowed in deep concentration and had to use the sleeve of his coat to dry his forehead. Time was on the essence to him and he felt that he was running out of it for some odd reason. He couldn't be though. Months of working on this creation would go to waste then, but he wasn't going to allow it. He can feel a strong sense of courage in this, he knew it. As he connected the last wire to a switch labeled _Humor_ , the man, Doctor Samuel Julien, stepped back to take a deep breath to slowly calm his shaky, clammy hands and waited for his latest creation to wake up. He hoped he made it on time.

As he waited, a sense of drowsiness overwhelmed him to yawn and blink tiredly, but he quickly shook himself to snap out of it. He couldn't fall asleep at a time like this. But then again, when was the last time he ever slept? Nightmares have always haunted and consumed him when he slept. Nightmares of an evil force coming for him, sensing it is the future and the land of Ninjago being consumed by darkness and controlled by a man. And since he could sense it was near, he had to flee to the Birchwood forest for sanctuary and work on his two creations he'll know that will help protect this world. One was done, but the other he had finished made him nervous if he was ever going to wake up.

Time had passed and nothing came from the body that laid on the table. Julien studied it and waited as nothing had come from the teen android of his. He sighed as he felt this was the end. But it couldn't be. The power source he had provided for him was able to bring him to life, but something felt odd. To be sure, he walked over to the chest cavity to observe what the problem was, but a large burst of energy from the battery he was using caused him to jump in surprise and smell of lithium smoke wafted in his nose to then sigh. That was his chance and he was out of options.

"Just give up, Father." a voice said behind his back. "There's nothing you can do. You need sleep as well. Just listen to me please."

Julien leaned his arms onto the table to sigh as he had to disagree with the one talking to him. He was close and he knew it. Plus he didn't want to sleep. Not until the nightmares have ended and his newest creation was alive. To that he had to grumble quietly. "I can't, Xander." he said to the voice behind him in the darkness. "I was so close and I knew it. I was so close!" He reached into the chest cavity to wretch out the battery he was using and threw it across the workshop in spite.

The one named Xander, in the shadows of the darkened workshop, jumped startled as the battery had clattered against something in the dark and looked at his father worriedly. This was going to end soon and he knew it. He never gave up on him when he created him as he is an android as well, but with his father working on another one, it was worrying him at his failed attempts. "Father please," he begged to him. "You've tried everything, but there's nothing we can do. You've used parts from me to help even, but nothing has worked. Face it, he's not going to be an android. I can still be the single guardian for you. It's over."

Over? Over! That wasn't a word he wouldn't justify this status. It couldn't be over. Not when he was close. How could his son say such a thing, even when it was close to him? He tried everything he could and he wasn't going to give up. "It's not over." he mumbled to himself quietly. "It's not over."

He lifted his head to stare at the closed eyes of the teen with short, platinum blonde hair that stood up without the need of hair-gel. It wasn't over, it can't be for him. He can bring him to life, he can. He needed a better source of power. He can do it! It wasn't over! It wasn't over! "It is not over!" he shouted and used his arms to push all items off the table harshly. Xander, to this, jumped in fright and watched him storm over to the work bench.

A light flickered brightly over Julien's head to reach down at his feet to pull out a fresh roll of blueprint paper and other instruments he was going to need to accomplish his goal. He even grabbed the blueprints of the android he was working on to take the measurements he needed to slowly start sketching out the new source of power he needed with the white graphite pencil. He could see it now. Small, circular, and he even had an electronically charged gas that can help him. And even the metal to stabilize it. This was his last chance now and he wasn't going to waste it now.

* * *

The time was ticking aggressively as he took the small piece of red hot metal from the furnace he was using to heat his home and carefully carried it to the small anvil and grabbed a small mallet. Sparks flew after each strike as it slowly took form and his eyes narrowed in concentration as the base was taking shape and dunked in a tub of water. Xander, watching in the shadows as he preferred it, studied his father carefully and worriedly as he kept pacing back and forth in their home while working to this new power source as he observed the blueprints to raise a brow. His would surely be different than the android on the table. If this worked, would he too get an upgrade so he wouldn't have to keep recharging. He had to wonder as he lifted his head to watch his father attach the final parts to the new device.

Solder filled the scientist's nose as the smelted drops of metal fused the glass tubing to the circular base together carefully and reached over to his left to slowly open a valve on a tank. The hissing sound of gas leaving the tank filled his ears to watch a translucent blue gas travel through a small tube and soon filled up the circular glass of the device to quickly shut the gas off and removed the tube to quickly seal it with more solder. Now the moment came for him, Julien started attaching wires to the device to a transmitter. Slowly and carefully, he pushed the small lever to start delivering an electronic charge until it couldn't go any higher. The light bulb above his head flickered rapidly due to the over charge until it burst to shatter glass around him and encase him in darkness. But soon a blue glow hummed to life from the source to encase the man in the glow.

Julien smiled widely to the accomplished work he wanted, clean energy and fusion powered. An Arc Reactor he should call it. He carefully picked it up to hold it and study it, amazed to what he had done. Able to bring his son to life, it had to. He quickly walked over to the android to take the main wire that was connected to the reactor and inserted into the outlet of his chest and rested it in the cavity to lock it into place. Xander heard the sound of power running into the android to gasp as he watched his hands twitch and his head moving a bit. Julien smiled to this and slowly bent his head near his ear. "Wake up, Zane." he whispered softly.

At the command of it, a set of dark blue eyes snapped open.

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 **Well, how did you like it? Really good for a opening chapter? Zane not being able to come life until Dr. Julien created his powerful power source. We get the Arc Reactor, even in the Rebooted season, I'd knew that had to be his power source to function him. And who is this Xander guy? Find out later in the story as I'm doing weekly Friday updates. So stay tuned. Thank you for reading the update, leave a review if you wish to, and I'll see you all next week, it's great to be back with the hero stories. :)**


	2. Am I Odd?

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. Last week was the prologue of the story and now we can start with Zane's adventure as the soon to be hero. I got nothing else to say, but enjoy the update.**

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 **Chapter 1: Am I Odd?**

"Alright, Zane," a perky voice chirped. "Solve this!" and slammed a mixed Rubik's cube in front of him.

A set of slender fingers grasped the small Rubik's cube that was shuffled up for him to solve. A teen with short, platinum blonde hair that stood up without the need of hair-gel turned the cube in many directions to study the miscolored sides and hummed softly as he studied it more. The algorithms in his systems formed the possible moves he could conduct and saw a pattern he could follow to have all sides match the ones in the middle of each side of the cube. He had it now. In quick turns, his fingers began to shuffle the cube to slowly match the sides into one color of the middle until they were all matched and slammed the cube onto the small coffee table he sat in front of. "Time?" he wondered.

The ticking sound of a stopwatch abruptly stopped as someone's thumb had quickly pressed the button to end the recorded time. "Five-point-nine seconds!" Kai, the red Ninja of Fire, exclaimed which then turned to a groan. "Come on, Zane, you know you're so close to beating the famous record in Ninjago."

Zane, the white Ninja of Ice, stared at his friend, or brother as they preferred themselves family to one another, with an amusing look to have a small smile play on his thin lips. A small chuckle escaped from him to then lean back against the couch as he sat on the floor with his hands rested behind his head. "I understand that I am always close to beating the fastest record of solving a Rubik's cube in all of Ninjago." he mused. "But due to my algorithms and fast processing of which a computer can do for me being a nindroid, wouldn't that be considered cheating?" He peeked an eye to see both Jay, the blue Ninja of Lightning, and Kai's dumbfounded looks to chuckle softly. "My point exactly." He tossed the cube back to Jay.

"Alright, Frosty," Cole, the black Ninja of Earth, smirked as he was shuffling something behind his back. "Solve this one." He tossed him the new cube to solve.

The white ninja caught the new puzzle cube to blink as it was different than the last one. In fact, it wasn't a cube at all. It was almost circular in shape with flat sides to be similar with a twelve-sided dice cue for an old board game. Where did Cole find this one then? As he studied the new enigma puzzle, his dark blue eyes quickly glanced up to see Cole nodding passed him and soon felt something being thrown over his eyes. He immediately knew it was a blindfold. "We think we should even raise the stakes on this," a voice spoke. Zane knew that it was Lucas, the grey Ninja of Water. "Think you're up for the challenge?"

He had to wonder. Raise the stakes up to have him blindfolded then. Oh, this should be interesting. "How about this?" he added as he felt the knot tighten behind his head, "If I go over twelve seconds solving this, I'll cook dinner tonight. But, if I solve it under twelve seconds, Cole is still cooking the evening meal. Do you accept the consequences?"

He smirked to himself as he heard multiple gulps from his brothers other then Cole. Oh, he had them now. "Oh, come on," Cole whined. "I'm not that bad. Am I?"

"What about the duck chowder?" Kai interjected. "Our mouths were glued shut for being too dry."

"Or the soup you made before," Jay added. "The noodles were still uncooked."

"Hey!" the black ninja barked. "One time, okay? One time! I'll cook better tonight if Zane gets this."

The sounds of his brothers arguing was almost music to his sensory inputs, hidden in his ears, as they had him doing this in the beginning. Two can play this game, right? And he can show them to not mess with a nindroid. "So, my brothers," he smirked. "Do we accept the consequences if I solve this under twelve seconds? I have all day here."

He waited for over a minute for a response, but his smirk still played on his lips as they agreed and shook on it. With both hands on the Rubik's cu-dice, he prepared himself to hear them say "Go". And within his databanks, he saved the last footage of the puzzle before Lucas tied the blindfold on him. His fingers twisted and turned the many sides of the twelve-sided cube once they shouted to start and could sense the tension rising as he figured he had gotten most of the sides solved by now. Time was racing, but he smirked as he had it now. "Time!" he shouted and slammed the puzzle on the coffee table softly. "I believe the time is eleven-point-nine, right Kai?"

Kai blinked a couple of time as he couldn't find his voice as his chocolate eyes kept darting between the stopwatch and Zane. How he had solved the dice was beyond him, but the time was very accurate. "Y-Yes," he replied and showed his teammates the time. He gulped a little when he heard them gasp. Cole was definitely cooking dinner tonight. They were in trouble.

"Wha-Hey!" Jay exclaimed. "You did that on purpose so Cole can cook still instead of you. I call that cheating! Not cool, man! Not cool!" He stopped to laugh a little. "Cool, because you're the ice ninja. Ha-ha!"

Zane had to smile to his energetic brother's enthusiasm while the others rolled their eyes to his antics as he removed his blindfold. He had to admit that was funny without the use of his humor switch. But the cheating part, he also had to admit that too. "I may have, as you put it, cheated on purpose, but in my defense you were challenging a nindroid without a second thought. So look where it lead you, me winning by default and Cole cooking tonight."

Silence came from the four male teens in front of him to chuckle lightly, but it soon changed to a squeak of surprise as he was suddenly tackled to the floor with his brothers on top of him of what they called a "dogpile". But it soon went back to a laugh as his brothers laughed along with him. All is well, that ends well. That's what a group of ninjas being a family was all about. What an odd family of ninjas as they had to be. "Guess you're right then, Zane." Lucas smiled and ruffled his hair. "But doesn't mean we still get to do this though." And all five laughed in agreement to that.

They stopped as they heard the sound of footfalls entering the game room to lift their heads to make eye contact with Lloyd, the destined Green Ninja. But they looked a bit concerned for the hard gaze he was giving them with his emerald green eyes. What did they do now to annoy him? "There you guys are!" he sighed. "Uncle says that your break is over and need to get back to training. That was ten minutes ago. I can't teach myself your elements alone. So come on now."

Zane heard them groaning as they knew they were in trouble for being late on their break from training. He couldn't blame themselves if they were having a little fun on fastest times with Rubik's cubes. But being ten minutes late meant trouble from Lucas' father, Sensei Wu. Most likely a lecture and some privilege loss, again. Either way, ten minutes late had its consequences. Much less than his betting with him.

The Ninja of Ice felt his friends climb off of him and took Cole's offering hands to pull himself up to his feet and threw his white gi over his undershirt to fix it properly by his belt. "Thank you, Lloyd," he said to the small ninja. "Tell Sensei we'll be up in a minute." He watched him nod as he tied a square knot on his belt.

"Or, how about we all go up together instead?" Lucas suggested and quickly lunged himself over to his cousin to make him squeal as he quickly threw him onto his shoulders. The grey ninja chuckled as his cousin then started laughing to the small fun and left with the others behind him. All except for Zane.

The white ninja had a small smile form on his face, but it slowly disappeared to sigh softly. He hadn't felt this way before in his life after he was created by his father. But lately he has been feeling, as Jay put it before, out of it. Did it have to be with the bond of Lucas and Lloyd? No, that couldn't be right as he has a bond with his brothers to share with. Shaking the feeling away, the blonde haired teen grabbed his shurikens from the coffee table and quickly left before enduring a lecture of being late after his friends.

* * *

Focus. Focus... _Focus_...That's all Zane had to do as he sat on the tatami mat in a lotus position. His dark blue eyes were closed and calm as he felt his mind and body become serene with nature and his inner thoughts. How extraordinary for a nindroid like him, right? Being able to have thoughts and dreams as a real teenager like his brothers would. Even more interesting when before he found out he was a nindroid. But, sadly, he couldn't focus to draw in a deep breath to open his eyes to watch his friends training around him as he sat on the bow of the Destiny's Bounty.

All around him, the white ninja could see Cole and Jay, training Lloyd on the Spinjitzu course while tossing clay discs at his direction to help control his stamina while using his elemental powers to deflect the projectiles and dodging the obstacle course. So he had to congratulate him for beating his previous record of just a minute more than his previous time later tonight. Across the deck from the trio was both Lucas and Kai sparing against Nya and Laurie in a two on two match to help the samurai and Ninja of Wind train. But he didn't like the sound of the commotion coming from the fire and water ninja. "Come on, Laurie," Lucas chastised as he swung a leg out after parrying her bo staff with his sai's to have it deflected. "Focus. If you want to be stronger to be the destined guardian for Lloyd, you have to focus."

"And you, Nya," Kai added as he swung his katana at his sister with her sword. "Call yourself a samurai if she's slow. I've seen better expectations from you."

At that statement, the raven haired girl narrowed her eyes to duck his swing and twisted her body to deliver a full round house kick to his chest. The full potential momentum caught Zane off to watch the fire ninja fly back and crashed into a wall to slump to the floor; dazed. The ice ninja turned his head back to watch Laurie parry Lucas' attacks and quickly thrust her hands to his chest. A gust of wind brushed past him and everyone to watch the water ninja flown back to collide with Kai to groan. And Zane could've sworn he heard bowling pins knocked down from the two. "Says the one who was slow to avoid that kick," says Nya as she towered over her brother.

"And for being a destined guardian as well," Laurie added to her cousin. "You think you can be better than me, but I guess you're wrong. That's what you get though," and walked away with Nya.

Zane had to chuckle to the two girls storming away from the causing males, but he then sighed as he was having that odd feeling again. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Sure he can hide the feeling from the others, but he could sense they were noticing it and were going to confront him. Was it...because he was a nindroid than human? It had to be then. He felt different to his friends before he found out his past and still feels different. Not to mention he was the only working robot in all of Ninjago and it made him feel...rare and out of place. To that, he sighed softly.

"Hey, Zane," Jay spoke up. "Penny for your thoughts?"

The sound of the lightning ninja's voice brought the white ninja back from his thoughts to turn his head to meet the wondrous, curious gazes of his brothers standing in front of him from his position. He could see that they looked a bit worried in a way for him by the glints in their eyes and tried to hide it. But in defeat, he sighed in content. "I've been thinking that's all," he said quietly. "Do you ever find me...different, brothers? Different out of everything? Or just weird?"

The four male ninjas had to blink a couple of times to collect their thoughts and looked at each other concerned for the ice ninja. Why would he ask them this when they don't see him weird, even though they, but Lucas, saw him weird before he was a nindroid? They always knew he felt distant lately, but they were glad to know what's been on his mind lately. "What's weird?" Cole stated, remembering what Sensei Wu once told them back at the Monastery. "Someone who is different? Or someone who is different from you?" Zane had his head tilted confused from the leader. "Zane, we don't think you're weird or different. You're our brother. But what made you think like that?"

Zane had to look away for a minute, but to only shrug his shoulders. Nothing came up as a solution in his algorithms to just sigh. "I really don't know," he sighed. "I guess it's because I'm the only nindroid created by my father and...am all alone. I'm just Zane, oddest being in all of Ninjago. I just want to get rid of this feeling somehow so I don't feel odd to others around. Mainly Ninjago and not you guys."

At the sound of plea for help, the four elemental ninjas glanced at each other to see the same thought forming in their eyes to form a smile and turned back to Zane. And the ice ninja had a brow raised to their small grins to feel a bit concerned that they may do something to him. Mess with his switches or something worse? Then what? "Guys, I believe we should have a guy's night out to cheer Zane up," Kai suggested. "All in favor say, Aye."

"Aye!" the earth, lightning, and water ninja said in unison while raising their hands to finalize their agreement.

Confusion still lingered on the ice ninja as he kept the puzzled look of his on them. A guy's night out? He never heard that term before, even though he and his brothers have spent nights staying up late in their bunkroom talking and helping him understand terms of what teenagers are like. And even facial gestures such as snorting, huffing, and scoffing, those sorts of things. He figured he must've missed that lesson of what a guy's night out was then. "I'm sorry, but what is this guy's night out?" he wondered innocently. "Is it...a date or something? I never heard this term before or have it saved in my databanks."

The male ninjas had to blink for a second on his wondrous and questionable look to look at each other again. Has he really never heard of a guy's night out before? That, somehow, didn't surprise them much though. "Not exactly, Zane," said Jay. "A guy's night out is much like girl's night out where a group of friends, mainly guys for our nights and girls for the other gender, go out to hang out as friends. They either go see a movie, eat out, or do whatever they want to hang out. Since this is us treating you to a guy's night out, what are some of the places you always wanted to go out and have some fun? Anywhere you want."

Anywhere he wanted to go then? Out of many places in Ninjago they can go to, Zane had to ponder. It was difficult to make up choices and suggestions. Even at a short notice. In the end, all he could do was shrug. "I guess that I've always wanted to go to that new bookstore that had opened up, but never had the time to do so," he said. "Is that something we can do if that's all right with you four?"

The four ninjas had their smiles plastered still on their lips to look at each other and nod. Zane too had to smile to their nods. "Anything for you, Zane," Lucas replied. "This is your night and we'll do anything you also have in mind later. Sound good?"

Zane had to nod once to the sound of that. It was going to be his night out with his friends. And he could feel his enthusiasm and esteem rising up. He no longer had weight on his chest of feeling weird now. "Sounds good then," he said. "Thank you."

"A guy's night out?" a young voice chirped. "Cool! Can I come too? Please!"

The four ninja had to turn around while Zane looked past them to make eye contact with Lloyd. A large smile formed on the green ninja's face with his emerald green eyes gleaming in pleads and hope. The Ninja stuttered to his begging to come along, but they all were thinking the same to give each other a frown. Boy they were going to hate breaking this news to him. Sighing, they all looked at Lucas. "Wha-oh fine!" he sighed and turned to his cousin to take a knee to be at his height. "I hate to say it to you, Shrimp, but you can't come along with us."

The large smile on his face slowly vanished to become a small frown. The grey ninja knew this would happen to sigh again. "Aww...come on," he whined a little. "Why not? I'll be super good."

"We're sorry, Lloyd," Kai stated softly. "But this is a night we want to treat Zane to and be teens for awhile and not ninjas. And no offense it won't seem fun if a kid came along."

"But I'm practically a teenager too, right?" Lloyd retorted, eyes slightly hardened. "Plus it'll be boring if you guys are gone and I don't have anyone to play with. Who's to say that Nya and my sis will do the same if you guys go out. So please, can I go? I'll be with Lucas at all times and won't run off."

The male ninjas had to sigh as the small ninja wasn't going to give up easily. Even when they'd given their responses. "The answer is no, Lloyd," Cole finished, just to end this argument. "Look, we're sorry to do this on you, but this is our final answer. We're sorry."

Zane watched the youngest member to the team scoff off as he went below deck to feel sorry for him for being denied. But if it was a guy's night out, it meant teenagers only, Lloyd will get that privilege eventually. He'll find a way to keep himself occupied when they're out, it didn't mean that he'll sneak out to be with them though. But still, he felt sorry for the boy. "So tonight after dinner, we'll head out?" he asked to smile as they nodded. "Great. Sounds like it'll be fun." The smiles from his brothers signified to him that it will be a fun night as well for all of them.

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 **Aw poor Lloyd not being able to come along, but their answers were final. But a guy's night out, oh what fun can it be for the five teens to hang out together and be regular teenagers than ninjas. What can happen with then then for their night out? Find out next. Thank you reading the update, leave a review if you wish to, have a great weekend, and I'll see you all next week. :)**


	3. Guy's Night Out, Gone Wrong

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. Last chapter, Zane feels odd for being the only nindroid, but that doesn't mean he can't be a regular teen, right? Which is why his brothers decided to take him out for a Guys Night Out. What can go wrong, right? Also huge thank you for my sister, KaitouKiwi, for reviewing my chapters, you're a great help an I hope you're having fun with them. But enjoy everyone.**

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 **Chapter 2: Guy's Night Out, Gone Wrong**

The night was young and quiet as a caravan of five ninjas -uh, teenagers- strolled down the quiet streets. The sun was slowly leaving the horizon with the stars forming in the evening sky. The sidewalks within Ninjago City looked crowded and busy, but it was a Friday night, so it would be busy a lot. But that wouldn't stop the group of teens as they lead their honorary friend to his guy's night out. They were committed to have this night happen for their friend. And nothing was going to make them change their minds and turn back for home. This was their night and they were going to enjoy it.

Zane had to smile to himself as he was in the center of the group leading him through the crowded streets, listening to their stories and laughing along to the funny moments that had happened to themselves. So far he was understanding the main concept of a 'guy's night out' laughing to stories and laughing along to jokes being told towards one another. That and even dressing in comfortable clothing other than his normal ninja attire that was appropriate to make himself a normal teenager. He had to admit that a pair of white jeans, grey undershirt, and a white jacket was more comfortable than a gi and armor. Even the footwear of ankle socks and sneakers felt more comfortable than the normal tabi socks and boots of a ninja. The Ninja of Ice had to agree that he felt like an actual teenager instead of a nindroid. And not even have the ideas of being odd and weird.

As the five elemental teens walked down the busy streets, they slowly eased their pace as they were reaching their destination of Zane's choice. The Ninjago City Bookstore; newest and largest bookstore opened to the public. The white ninja smiled softly as they reached the entrance and reached for the door, but his hand was softly pushed aside. He had had turned his head to Jay, for he was the one that had done it. "Ah, ah, ah," the blue ninja chirped, pulling the door open for him. "It's your night and we're treating you to it."

"Thank you then, Jay," the blonde haired teen smiled and entered through the double doors, and another set Lucas had opened for him. He smiled to his brothers and scanned around the large complex of the bookstore. Miscellaneous shelves filled rows of different genres to the wondrous reader. Science fiction, mystery, horror, etc... Small wooden tables laid in the center of the store, stacked with new releases for either adults, teenagers, or children. There was even a section for children's books, sections for magazines, and there was a set of stairs that had a sign saying Music Section; Zane had to wonder if that meant CDs and movies. Even the scent of coffee wafted into the ice ninja's olfactory sensors of his nose to notify him that there was a café within the store. Somehow, the white ninja knew this was a good idea.

Zane glanced over his shoulders to see that his friends had wandered off on their own to start browsing through the many titles there were, and felt his feet guiding him . His dark blue eyes scanned through the selections of genres and stumbled upon the shelves of puzzle boxes and spheres to help train the mind of a puzzle solver. He shrugged though, as he probably could solve those quickly and traversed over to the psychological books of the store. Boy, there were even a couple of good selections for him.

"Ahem. . ." Four male teens coughed to get someone's attention.

Startled, the ice ninja turned to the source to make eye contact with his four elemental brothers who had their arms crossed while shaking their heads. He remained quiet for a minute and sheepishly placed the book he had in his hands back on the shelf. "Uh. . . was I doing something different?" he asked and received nods from the four.

"Zane, Zane, Zane. . ." Cole sighed while shaking his head and tsking with his tongue. The ice ninja felt a bit nervous about what he was doing wrong. "All of us here are eighteen and guys our age don't go straight for the books written by doctors or others. No. At our age, we go for something more. . . acceptable to our age group."

Zane had his head tilted in confusion to what he was talking about. Books considered for their age group, huh? If they were all eighteen, then what was there for him to choose? "Very well," he said, persistent. "What do you have in mind?" He watched Cole turn his head to Jay with a sly grin and both the earth and lightning ninja grabbed his arms and pulled him away to yelp in surprise. He tried to free himself, but the two had strong grips as they led him to the back of the store to a new section of miscellaneous books that had him raise a brow to the art design that closely resembled that of a comic book. And even the title of book genre had him confused. "Manga? What's that?"

"Only one of the greatest kinds of books ever made in all of Ninjago!" Jay smiled widely as he browsed through each aisle. "They're like comic books for teens! They have vampire hunters, assassins, and even romance stories for girls. There's lots to choose from."

"They even have my favorite as manga," Cole added and pulled down a book that caught his attention. "Starfarer, before Fritz Donnegan. And the newest one even! It's mine!" His smile grew big on the book in his hands and turned to Zane. "And it's quite different than a regular book. You have to read them from right to left. You'll get use to it quickly."

"Oh, who cares," Kai huffed. "These books sound dumb anyway."

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Kai," Jay rebutted. "When you get the hang of it, that is. Here, Zane, you might like this series. It involves an android who had experiences like you." He grabbed the first volume book to hand it to him. "Lucas, I think we got something for you."

Zane studied the odd genre of a book to read the summary of what would be the book's cover but is the back of the book to flip it over to the cover. Such an odd book to read from the back to the front. But the story summary interested him to study the illustrated cover. A lone android with large blue eyes for the art style and long black hair. His head was still tilted, but he shrugged, for it had him interested. "I'll consider it then," he said and peeked an eye to see Kai browsing through a book he had off the shelf. _I won't tell Jay about this then._ He turned to his brothers as they were browsing still. "I'd say we're done in here tonight. Anyone ready to go?"

He watched the group nodding in approval, to lead the way to the checkout counters with his, Cole, Lucas, and Jay's books added in. But as they were being rung up, his eyes took notice to a thin paperback book he recognized as a comic book to look around in suspicion. He knew for sure that none of his brothers had selected that kind, but oddly being hidden in the middle of the stack as it was now placed in the bag. He had to wonder, not to mention that the air felt a little. . . wet. Not because of Lucas' element, but from someone else. After watching Cole and Jay pitch in on the total sales price, the group was given the bag and set off. He smirked a little as he watched Kai sneak back to pay for his book and quickly followed after them to continue their night out. _I'm definitely not telling Jay about that for sure. Your secret is safe, Kai._

* * *

The cool autumn air felt relaxing to the ice ninja as he followed his elemental brethren down the streets of Ninjago City. He had to admit that this night was enjoyable, and he was glad to partake in it. And it wasn't even late; still half past eight. But, oddly enough, his sixth sense had been softly humming in the back of his head. Like they were being followed by a threat of some sort, one he couldn't describe. But it definitely wasn't coming from the one following behind him. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed as he whipped around and grabbed onto something that was invisible. The Ninja stopped as they heard him shout.

"Put me down, Zane!" a voice, child-like, shouted in the thin air.

"Shrimp!?" Lucas inquired and moved his hands across Zane. Miniscule beads of water were lifted and moved away to reveal the small green ninja in jeans and his green sweatshirt, slightly dampened from the droplets. Using one of Lucas' tricks with their elemental water powers to bend the light waves and become invisible. "What are you doing here, Lloyd!? We told you to stay home with my dad and the girls. It's dangerous to wander off on your own."

Zane gave the boy a hard stare as he figured the others were as well and released his grip on Lloyd's hood. All Lloyd could do was cross his arms and pout a little. He was close to being hidden from his friends, but Zane found him. "I know it is, but I wanted to be with you guys," he whined. "It's boring on the Bounty without you guys and I wanted to get out. Plus, I overheard the girls saying that they were planning on ambushing me, like pranking and tying me up with duct tape for fun. And with you guys gone, that was a perfect moment for them to strike." He turned to Zane. "Also, how did you know I was following you this whole time?"

"Three things, Lloyd," the ice ninja said, and held up three fingers, ticking each item off. "I have a sixth sense to detect your presence. Keen ears to hear your shoes making contact with the gravel on the sidewalks. If you had your tabi boots on, I wouldn't have heard you from a block away. And lastly," He reached into the paper bag Jay was holding and fished out the comic book. "You left this noticeable to me while the others were distracted."

"Hey!" Cole and Jay exclaimed and turned to Lloyd. "You owe us then for that!"

A sigh escaped from the boy to nod while he stared at his feet. Zane for sure the correct term for him was, He's in for it, big time. He sighed and gave him the paperback book to turn to the others. "Now what?" he wondered. "We can't send him back alone now as the Bounty is across town. I guess the only choice is to take him along then."

The Ninja glanced at each other to ponder and turned to Lloyd whose sheepish, solemn face convinced them he was sorry for sneaking out without anyone's notice. They sighed as they had no other choice to continue their night out. "Fine," the four teens groaned. The smile from the boy grew wide as he gave out a small cheer. "But it doesn't mean you're off the hook though." And the boy's smile returned to a pouty look.

Zane had to pity the smallest member of the team, as he wanted to hang out with them, but they wanted to have a night alone as teenagers. Not teenagers with a kid in their group. But, oh well. What's done is done. "So what can we do now since Lloyd is joining us?" he wondered.

"How about we catch a movie and head back home as it'll be late," Cole suggested.

"Oh, with lots of popcorn and candy!" Jay squeaked childishly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I wouldn't mind that," Kai agreed.

"Same," Lucas nodded. "And, as Cole said, it'll be late and hopefully we don't miss curfew and a get another curfew lecture from my dad."

Zane had to smile to their, well mostly Jay's, childish antics to their agreement of a movie. The nearest one wasn't too far from them. In the algorithms of his processor, he knew the layout of Ninjago City and knew the nearest theater was down by two blocks after a right on the corner of the block they were in. So he was his own kind of map for them. With him leading, the group set off with Lloyd in the center so he wouldn't wander off from them. But the green ninja was distracted with his new comic book to not wander off at all.

Unbeknownst to the group, footsteps followed behind them from a distance. His breathing was ragged and shallow, short sandy colored hair dampened from sweat, and hands were shaking uncontrollably. Not to mention that they glowed a reddish-white color with his skin cracking to have him groan to the heat. He could tell he was running out of time, but he had to reach his objective. Ignoring the pain, he slipped his hands into the conjoined pocket of his sweatshirt to tail after the Ninja.

The time has come.

* * *

Zane saw the theater was straight ahead before his brothers, knew that they had to weave their way through the large shopping plaza that stood before them. But that wasn't going to stop the six of them, and slowly traversed in. But with it being crowded, it caused the nindroid to get separated from his group, but would meet up back with them; eventually he did. Suddenly there were squeals of joy to have the six stop and soon become surrounded by girls, which they figured were fans. He heard the guys groan as they didn't want their night to be like this. And, to their surprise, they too went for Lloyd as they pinched his cheeks and ruffled his blonde hair to coo over him. "Ha! See!?" the green ninja blurted. "Told you it was a good idea to have me along. I'm getting you guys attention." He smirked. "And dates maybe."

"But I'm in a committed relationship!" Kai and Jay both objected.

All Lloyd could do was shrug and let the fans surround him and his friends. Zane had to laugh through his nose to this, one of the things his brothers taught him how to do, and let this play out for them. But all he could do was sigh, as he couldn't experience it much to their love for a ninja. He was a nindroid, the only one, and doesn't know what love is like. But suddenly his eyes widen as the back of his head was buzzing crazily to alert him that a dangerous presence was coming. He couldn't tell if it was a Serpentine or not. He turned his head away to search for anyone suspicious in the plaza. But all he could see were normal shoppers and kiosk stands from vendors.

But he did catch a man with sandy hair sauntering towards him before disappearing into the crowd. This had Zane curious.

"Hey, Zane, you all right?" Jay's voice broke his silent thoughts.

That was the problem now. With his sixth sense, it always meant trouble to the team. He turned to his brothers to show them the glint in his dark blue eyes, that danger was approaching. They got the message and soon the fans left. "I sense something is coming," he observed and concentrated. But his eyes widened as he sensed a threat coming for them. "Duck!" he shouted and jumped out of the way as a kiosk stand was thrown in their direction. Once he recovered, he glanced over his shoulder to see his brothers weren't harmed from the event, and the shoppers around them stopped to become worried about something.

What was happening?

"Sense the fear! Feel the fear!" a voice shouted to have Zane turn his head to the voice. It was the man he caught glowering at them. But he gasped as his body was slowly glowing a reddish-white color. "The Mandarin is coming to wreak havoc to this land and surround it in darkness! No one can stop us! Not even you, Ninja!" He slouched to the ground as he felt the burning pain radiate through his body.

Into action, the Ninja shouted at everyone to leave for safety and surrounded the man as his body burned and cracked. They couldn't tell if he was transforming into anything. But the blonde haired teen quickly scanned the man to gasp. His body was uncontrollable from the analysis he received. "His body is going into a thermal meltdown!" Zane exclaimed. "We have exactly ten seconds to leave or we'll cease to exist and become ash!" This panicked his brothers.

"Take cover!" Lloyd shouted.

 _Ten..._ The Ninja quickly jumped back to run as far as they could. _Nine..._ They all quickly hid behind the many kiosk stands to seek shelter as they figured they wouldn't make it out of the plaza on time or the blast radius would get them. _Eight... Seven..._ Zane knew his time was running short as two of the stands can shelter two people, one of which can hold three for Lloyd's height. _Six... Five..._ He saw the vacant cart that was thrown at them to start sprinting for it, but tripped on the many dropped shopping bags from the fleeing crowd to make rough contact with the cobblestone pavement. "Zane!" the Ninja shouted for their brother. _Four... Three..._ The Ninja of Ice was having trouble getting back on his feet, but realized it was too late. _Two... One..._ All he could do now was shield his eyes and be surrounded in a reddish-white glow, but soon a bluish hue and darkness.

* * *

 **Hahaha! I love it when I leave you in suspenseful cliffhangers. Especially to what happen to poor Zane. What are the outcomes now then, we shall see in the next chapter. Again, thank you, KaitouKiwi with reviewing my update, great help and I hope you had fun. Thank you al for reading the update, leave a review if you wish to, and have a great weekend and I shall see you all next week. :)**


	4. Aftermath

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. In the last chapter, I left you all in suspense to what happened to Zane, well you no longer have to wait, let's now check on what has happened to our favorite nindroid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Aftermath**

 _"Who are you?" A soft, gentle voice spoke to the man with brownish hair in front of him._

 _A smile played on the young scientist's face to his confused creation, as he slowly pulled him to his feet. The android teenager staggered on his first two steps, but he kept a strong arm on him to keep him balance. "Motor controls are functioning well," he spoke to himself. He helped him stand up taller and both stood in front of a mirror. "Well, Zane," he chimed. "I am your father and, well, you're special to be here."_

 _"Fa-ther?" the android teen, now named Zane, said, puzzled. He stared at his reflection to see slightly pale skin with dark blue eyes. Platinum blonde hair that stood up like it was fixed by hair-gel and ran his fingers through it to feel it. It felt real to him and maintained its natural look. He was even wearing grey sweatpants and a sweatshirt with black gloves to look at himself curiously. Suddenly, his dark blue eyes illuminated to have him jump back startled at first, but remained calm as the process took hold. Designs, binary codes, video feedback swam through his head, dimming his eyes. "I am Zane," he smiled contently and turned to his new father. "And you have created me, Father."_

 _"That I did, my son." Julien smiled. "That I did. Now, I'd like to show you someone else in the family."_

* * *

A startled gasp escaped from the ice ninja's throat to quickly sit up from where he was laid upon. His power source hummed rapidly as if it was a startled heart, but it slowly calmed down. But his arms refused to move from the soft mattress he sat on, but he quickly threw himself back as he felt depleted of energy and couldn't muster much more if he tried. He just felt too tired to do anything at all, besides sleep forever and ever.

Was being dead like this?

The processor in his head felt overheated, as it were a normal person's kind of headache, to have him squeeze his eyes tight against the throbbing pain. He tried to suppress the pain, but could feel the heat increasing and felt a sudden large amount of energy building up near his chest and power source. A bright blue hue glowed through his charred sweatshirt with a small whine rising, but slowly vanished as the energy escorted itself through his body. Finally, the pain in his head disappeared as he slowly pried open a tired eye to peek at his surroundings.

A wooden ceiling greeted him with the shadows of a setting sun casted from the window next to him. If he was dead, he wouldn't be seeing a wooden ceiling. He became suspicious and lifted his head to grasp at better bearings. A couple of mattresses with stark white sheets laid adjacent from him with a long counter stretching along one side of a wall with medical supplies lying around. It made the white ninja realize he was in the medical bay of the Destiny's Bounty. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was being caught in a thermal meltdown from a person with a message. Unless he survived. But, how then?

"This doesn't compute," he murmured to himself. How he had survived was impossible. To a thermal meltdown, he would've been nothing to existence and yet he was alive in the Bounty. Save for the scorch marks on his jeans and sweatshirt, and all functions of his body were operable. Still doesn't explain how he had survived. No recorded data appeared in his eyes to help recall the traumatic event. But his power source, somehow to him, ached in a way as people called them heart problems. "What happened?"

The sound of the door squeaking as it was opening caused the blonde haired teen to turn his head to see who was entering. A small smile spread on his face to be greeted with his brothers as they entered the sick bay to see their smiles greeting him back. They must've been thrilled to see him. "Zane!" the five elemental male teens and child yelled and rushed over to greet him with open arms in a big group hug.

The white ninja never understood the concept of hugs, but can feel the affection of how they are felt. With love or happiness. But with them all squeezing him like they were one Constrictai on him, he had to wince to notify them he was feeling sore still and felt them release him. The small pang of pain passed to breathe in deeply to help his body adjust and slowly exhaled to turn to his brothers. "I'm not dead, am I?" he asked to receive awed expressions. "And neither are you?" All he got was silence.

"N-No. . ." Jay stammered to look confused with the others. How to break this to the nindroid? "We survived the blast and you did too, somehow. We can't explain how, but you had this. . . force field protecting you. You're lucky to be alive."

"Force field?" he wondered. "Like in movies? And how long have I been out of commission?"

"Only for a couple of days, buddy," Cole replied and reached into his pockets to pull out the cell phone that his father had given him as a gift; thankful for the upgrade than the old flip phone he had. "But, how you survived is all in here." He held the phone in front of the ice ninja. And all Zane could do was gasp.

The digital photograph held a traumatic scene to make him shake in fear. Everything was dark in the center of what once was the plaza, with embers embedded in the blackened cobblestone floor with a small crater. Everything in the area was scorched or burning from a fire, from the meltdown of a human being. But he was nowhere around now. But near the center lay a body, his body that he now realized, with a bright transparent blue light surrounding his unconscious form. This must be what Jay meant as the force field. But, how then?

"This doesn't compute any more than it already has," he gasped and looked away to find any data in his databanks about the phenomena of him surviving. Sadly, nothing came to view. His eyes kept racing along the lines of binary codes to help him decode the event to where he can make it appear again. But nothing was recognizable to the nindroid. His lightened eyes dimmed to return to their normal eye color as he took a shaky breath. Glancing at his brothers, he could see the looks of concern masking their faces to his survival. "This doesn't compute. Not at all."

All the Ninja could do was nod. Zane couldn't figure it out still, to bring his knees to his chest and hands on his head, as he tried to fix and store everything in his head. Surviving a meltdown with a force field is impossible, let alone a single person producing such a thing and still be alive. _This doesn't compute..._ He survived, so did his brothers, but he should've been dead if he didn't reach shelter in time. _This doesn't compute..._ A force field, science fiction to all, yet he could do such a thing. _This doesn't compute!_ All the white ninja did was scream in annoyance as he couldn't put the pieces together, unlike the Rubik's cubes. "This doesn't and can never compute!" he cried out, slowly curling up and resting his head on his knees.

All the Ninja could do was let him stay that way until he calmed down. This was surprising to him, to all of them for that matter. But even they couldn't think of how he survived that. All they were thankful for was that he was still alive. They had already lost one brother on the team, but the grey ninja had come back somehow to be a guardian for Lloyd. But they had also lost another friend for protecting Lloyd and Laurie, but sadly she never came back. Zane was now one of those survivors, but it was all puzzling to him. They pitied the Ninja of Ice.

Sighing, Kai took a seat on the bed to be with him and rested a calming hand on his shoulder to pat it softly. Zane didn't even bother to lift his head to respond. And the fire ninja just sighed. "I know this is all. . . new and frightening, Zane," he spoke softly to him. "Believe me, this is for us too. But we're glad you survived in any way possible. We'd be devastated if you were gone. We're glad to see you here." He reached into his gi to pull out a hidden item wrapped in white cloth and held it out to Zane. "But, we also have to show you this. This may be important."

Zane now lifted his head to stare at the object hidden away to slowly take it away from the red ninja and unwrap it. As he got closer to the item, by the cloth getting dirtier from the movement of the hidden object rubbing against the cloth until he finally unraveled it to be a piece of melted, charred metal. He felt confused at first, but an engraving of something caught his eyes to lighten his eyes to begin scanning the mark. His eyes traced around the deepened edges that bordered the mark to slowly reanimate the mark in his processor and started analyzing the ruined parts of the mark to see it become more of an insignia. Once he finished scanning, his eyes grew wide to the finished insignia that was stored in his databanks to blink on it. Cogs and a zig-zag bolt that was close to interconnect; one he recognized.

In haste, he handed Kai the piece to lift his sweatshirt and tee shirt to open the metal panel of his chest cavity to reveal the wiring components and switches that power him. But his eyes darted to the hatch to reveal an insignia of cogs and the zig-zag bolt to be close to interconnecting with each other. The piece of metal he scanned had the same symbol as he did. But how, when only he and his falcon had it? "Th-That's my father's insignia," he gasped quietly and closed the hatch to let his shirts fall back over his chest. He grabbed the piece from Kai to hold it out anxiously. "Where did you find this?"

"We found it in the center after that guy. . . vanished," Cole stated plainly. He flicked his long bangs from his eyes and tried to think more before he spoke. "But. . . we didn't think a guy could do such a thing. We thought he was more of an. . . android. An android your father created. If he had the same symbol as you do, who is to say there aren't more? But who's to say your father was. . . part of this Mandarin. . ."

He was taken by surprise to this assumption. His dark blue eyes hardened and he grabbed a hold of Cole's gi and jerked his body over to be closer to him. Cole was only taken by surprise at his hard stare. "My father is not that kind of man," he growled through his teeth. "He has been gone for years and there is no way of this being his final wish. He was a good man, not some terrorist. Let that get through your thick skull, brother." He huffed in his face to release his grip on him to have the earth ninja propping himself up from the floor. For once in his life, he realized he became angry at someone to insult them. "For all we know the Mandarin, as he calls himself, must've used an old design of my father's to send a message. I don't know why or what his reason could be, but we must do everything to stop him if he strikes again."

The air grew still around the sick bay after the ice ninja's outburst. All the Ninja could do was blink to this. Zane just huffed and looked away to rant to himself. "I'm sorry, Zane," Cole apologized as he pulled himself up. "I didn't mean to offend you or your father in any way. I spoke wrongly before I thought about my words. It was an accident and I'm sorry." He hung his head in shame.

Zane sighed. He couldn't be mad at his friend forever, but it didn't mean he could forgive him for the statement of his father behind the attack. But whoever was framing his deceased father had a motive to do so and even use an android for the attack. Was it revenge? Or something else? "It's all right, brother," he sighed to see the black ninja lift his head slowly. "It was an accident after all, as you said, and I forgive you. But it won't mean I'll forgive you for accusing my father of being the one behind this attack, even when he's gone."

A small smile grew on the raven haired teen's face to know his friend, who they all call a brother, had forgiven him in a way. And he understood he wouldn't forgive him for accusing his father of being behind it. Though it was a mistake and all, he understood Zane wouldn't forgive him for that. "Thanks, Zane," he smiled. "I'm glad to know you've at least forgiven me."

"And don't worry, Zane," Lucas chirped in. "Once you've recovered some more, we'll get down to this Mandarin attack. The girls know about this now and they are ready to help. But for now, we think you should rest some more. Jay said that you used quantum energy to create that shield and nearly killed yourself."

He nodded to this. "Very well," the Ninja of Ice said, and watched as his brothers left after saying their goodnights; all but Jay left. The nindroid raised a brow as the lightning ninja played with his gloved hands nervously. "Jay, you still need something?"

"Actually yes," Jay replied with a nod. "I was actually curious if I could see your power source." This made the ice ninja confused. "I know I've seen your heart before, when Laurie first came to us and Lloyd accidently powered you down, but I have a theory on how you created that shield." Intrigued, Zane had to lean closer to sit on the edge of the bed. "When we watched you get trapped and create that shield, I noticed the source was coming from your heart and I want to know if there's something else that is unique in it. So, can I test my theory?"

Intrigued, the ice ninja had to ponder on his theory more and nothing came up in his algorithms. It seemed plausible to him then, and he had to agree. "Very well then," he said and lifted his shirts to open his abdominal cavity. "But, please, be careful."

"Oh relax, I got this," Jay bragged and scanned around for his power source. Traces of a translucent blue light caught his eyes, and glanced over to the circular disc covered by protective flaps and pressed the center to hear a click to open the flaps. The lightning ninja had to scratch his chin to ponder. "Hmm. . . I wonder what happens if I do this?" He slowly pushed a finger to Zane's heart, but before he could press it, a rogue bolt from his heart caught his finger to send a jolt to his body to cause him to jump back. "OW!" he winced to his tingling finger.

Zane too winced, having the rouge bolt spreading through his body after Jay's attempt. Suddenly he felt his hatch close automatically on him. His eyes glowed brightly as many images flashed through his mind, even ones he didn't recognize, but looked down at his bare chest as he felt his heart moving. His eyes went wide as he watched a circular blue light travel across his chest to his sternum and a section of his chest fanned open to have his heart jutting out and nestling itself with a click and whine to softly hum. The white ninja now began to panic. "J-Jay...what have you done!?" he gasped.

* * *

Eyes snapped open from a quiet slumber, glancing around his surrounding area. He could see that he was still within the same spot, sleeping on the couch of his private suite. His breath felt shallow at first, but he slowly calmed himself down and sighed. Another nightmare, probably. Or was it? He suddenly clutched his chest tightly as he felt his heart shifting. He lifted his shirt to watch a circular red light travel to the center of his chest to fan open the center with a red disc nestling itself with a click and whine to hum softly. He didn't panic, but felt amazed. He'd only seen this happen once in his life.

Without hesitation, he quickly scrambled off of the couch, to climb out of the dugout of the couch being in the floor, to rush over to the large viewing windows. He slid to a halt. He watched the dazzling sunset cascade over Ninjago City, but his smile grew wider than before. Somewhere out there was someone he never thought he would see again, but something triggered to have him smile. "Zane. . ." he said quietly, resting his head on the window to sigh happily before raising his head to chuckle in joy. "You're alive."

* * *

 **Hmm... Who can this person be and why is he happy to know Zane is still alive? And why the red disc on his chest now like Zane's, only his is blue? So many questions, but I think you all have a hunch on who it can be? Submit your answer in the review if you know who it may be. I can't wait to see your answers.**


	5. The Lost Son

**Hey everyone, happy Friday, time for a new update. I have to say I liked some of your answers, but only one person had it correct. And to the one that said Cryptor, that's not correct and all of my stories are before the Rebooted season and before the Overlord on the Dark Island, just want to clarify that. But anyway, here is the update and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Lost Son**

The power source hummed softly as the platinum blonde haired teen stared down at his chest and sighed a little. To him, it stuck out like a sore thumb as it glowed a bright blue hue through his white undershirt and gi. He couldn't even try to place it back where it belonged originally. It was a weakness he now saw to enemies; one strike at his heart and then there would be death. Whatever Jay had done to him the other night was beginning to worry him. Not only was it worrying him, but also his family when trying to hide it from them. Sure enough, he couldn't hide it from them if the guys tackled him to expose it. So, with the secret exposed, they knew they had to take extra precautions.

Zane still sighed to see his heart out and crossed his arms over his chest to hide it more, but only half of the circular disc was exposed. This felt sillier than it should. But what he still couldn't decipher were the images of flashbacks he had when his heart moved. Images of a teen, slightly taller than him with jet black hair that nearly reached his shoulders, being in the same room with him. The workshop in his father's home in the Birchwood Forest. "What was all that about?" he wondered to himself quietly.

"The known terrorist group as the Mandarin has struck again," a scared voice from the news reporter, Gayle Gossip, announced. Zane lifted his head from his chest, as he was sitting on a tatami mat to meditate, to direct his attention to the television in the Bounty's living room. The Ninja directed their attention as well, as they were taking a break from training. What now?

"Citizens of Ninjago are in fear as the notorious group called the Mandarin has caused yet another thermal meltdown as police called it," Gayle Gossip continued. "The first attack, as we all know, started in our beloved Ninjago City and targeted the Ninja, but they all made it out alive. But the recent attack has happened in the small snowy town of Icele Village. We have footage of the aftermath, but be advised, it is horrifying to witness." The Ninja watched as the screen changed to the aftermath to gasp quietly to themselves. A large ember crater rested in the center of an enclosed space with shadowy prints of people plastered to a stone wall. Zane felt horrified about how this could have happened to him and his brothers if they didn't seek shelter and him for his force field. What did the Mandarin want then?

"As you now saw, a memorial service will be held for the families who have lost those in this monstrous attack," the reporter said mournfully. "Is Ninjago now in danger to this group? Is there a way to stop them? How will we protect ourselves? Ninja, help us. We need you more than ever now."

The television was muted after a click of the TV remote. The room grew silent after the televised news said they needed their help. Kai, being the one who had the remote to mute the TV, sighed as he tossed it aside, leaning back against the couch as he sat on the floor. "There's one problem though," he sighed. "How can we stop them? They can be anywhere in Ninjago and we don't know how to protect ourselves against them. Unlike Zane did before. But for us, we'll be dead before we know it. This isn't like anything we've encountered before."

Zane had to nod as he agreed with his hot-headed brother. As he said, unlike him before, he was able to survive an attack like that. His family wouldn't stand a chance though. "It may be, Kai," he nodded. "But surely there has to be a way to help ensure no one is a victim to their attacks. But I agree on that we don't know where they are or where they'll strike next."

"Isn't there at least a way that we can. . . lead them away?" Laurie offered. The wind ninja took a pen and paper that was on the coffee table as she sat next to Kai, slowly sketching out a plan. All Zane could see from his adjacent side were squares and X's on the sheet. "What if we were in their next attack and divert them away from the populated area to a non-populated area and trigger them to release the meltdown with us, far away from anything. That way we can help stop these attacks."

Interesting, the ice ninja had to agree it sounded like it was an effective plan to use. But there were some flaws in the plan. And a way to improvise may not work as well. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Laurie," Cole butted in. "But I can see this as trouble for us. For starters, the chances of us being in the next attack of the Mandarin foot soldiers is one to one hundred odds. Second, if we do get them in, like, a forest or desert, who's to say the blast radius won't kill us too? I like where you are going with this, but we need a few tweaks on it."

Pondering, an idea sprouted in Laurie's head. She snapped her fingers to attract everyone's attention. All eyes became trained on her. "What if, instead of us as bait," she continued. "We have Lucas create mirages of us with his powers, to lead the attack away. That way we're all a safe distance and it can happen at Scatter Canyon or in the Sea of Sands. No one lives there."

"I think that can work out well," said Jay. "With you two as Lloyd's guardians, and still having powers, it'll be the only way to stop the Mandarin slowly. They may catch onto what we're doing, but it'll reduce their numbers and hopefully give us a way to their location or even the leader. But we should also have a strategy if we're captured by them, or a Plan B once they know our Plan A." The lightning ninja saw them nod in agreement. "So. . . any ideas? Hehe . . ." He rubbed the back of his auburn hair as he felt a little nervous as they thought he had a second idea.

The white ninja didn't comply with their plans, but simply closed his eyes and returned to a meditating posture, slowly inhaling. His mind felt clear as he exhaled, maintaining a lotus position, and felt calm to not be bothered with. It was like being in a frozen pond, holding his breath long before he discovered he was a nindroid. Calm and serene. But suddenly the back of his head buzzed with his sixth sense as the sound of a helicopter rotor drew near and close. His eyes snapped open. "What the!?" he snapped.

Everyone stopped to the loud commotion to have all eyes on the window to watch two or more helicopters hover past their view. Lloyd found himself now in front of the window, peering out at the streets below the Bounty from Dareth's roof and raising a brow. "Uh, guys. . ." he stammered. "The news is here. . . And that's a first. . ."

The news? As in television news with Gayle Gossip? That had to be the case. Getting back to his feet, the blonde teen walked over to the window and blinked. Lloyd was right. Two of the newscopters hovered around the Bounty. Vans littered the street with police blocking off the borders of newscasters as they flooded the streets with cameras aimed and. . . live? Realization came to the Ninja and Kai grabbed the remote to turn the mute off to hear as they were watching live feed happening outside from them.

What was going on now?

"I'm standing outside of Grand Master Sensei Dareth's Dojo, said to be the training center of the Ninja of Ninjago," said Thomas Feedback, Gayle Gossip's co-partner on the six o'clock news. "But on top of the small building anchors the headquarters of the Ninja and also houses the lost son of Doctor Samuel Lee Julien: the lost heir to Spark Tower and Spark Industries." He paused for a second. "I've just been told that he is staring out one of the windows as we speak." He turned to gaze upward with the camera panning and aiming on Zane.

Zane's eyes went wide as kept turning back forth from the television and window to quickly shut the curtains and press his back against the wall, feeling his heart humming rapidly and brightening. And to respond, he quickly threw his hands over his chest to try and take deep breaths. "Lost son, I understand. . . " he breathed. "But lost heir to Spark Tower and Industries? I don't understand. . . I've never heard of them."

All the Ninja could do was blink and stare at the television screen and back at Zane after reading the headlines. To have the media on them, there had to be a reason. However, there weren't any Serpentine attacks or Garmadon for that matter. But that wasn't the case. It was aimed towards Zane. "We're as confused as you are, Zane," said Cole. "But there might be something to this. Perhaps someone knows of your past after your dad passed away that your memory switch forgot. We'll try to get rid of them if they make you nervous. We'll see what's going on."

A small smile grew on the white ninja's face, but it soon disappeared as the thundering sound of footsteps flooded the upper deck to have him and his teammates glance upward. All eyes were trained on the television to see the news media were now on the Bounty. This was getting out of hand now. "Ahem. . ." an elderly voice coughed to have all eyes trained on Sensei Wu at the doorway of the living room. His grey eyes stared at the television screen as he stroked his white beard before turn back to his students. "It appears we have unannounced company at our home," he stated in his wise tone. "I think the eight of you should see what they want from you. And from you as well, Zane. There's always a reason to everything."

They couldn't argue that statement now. When it comes to Sensei Wu, he was always right. Zane watched as his friends kept turning their heads to each other to sigh and walk out of the room. If there was something going on with him to have the media on him, there had to be a reason. He heard his friends were racing behind him and glanced over his shoulder; ignoring their pleas to stop as it could be a trap if a Mandarin soldier was in the crowd. He huffed though, as it didn't seem right if they say he was an heir and lost son and walked up the small flight of stairs to enter the deck.

Flashes of bright lights surprised the blonde haired teen and he winced. He threw his arms over his eyes to block out the light and soon heard his friends wince to the sudden flashes. To help him, his dark blue eyes darkened, becoming polarized, and he soon removed his arms from his face as he gazed at the media. He couldn't hear himself as reporters constantly shouted question after question at him; how does it feel to be the found lost son? His amendments as the heir now? Etcetera. . . These questions were causing Zane to become nervous and confused. "Stop!" he cried and soon the heat of the media became quiet. He drew in a deep breath to sigh in relief. "Now. . . What is going on? What do you mean I'm the heir to Spark Industries? I want answers first."

"Like you don't know?" a male reporter scoffed. All Zane could do was shrug as he didn't know anything when asked the questions. "Well, we got a mysterious caller saying that you're the missing son of the late Doctor Samuel Julien. We've done our research and found you are also are the lost heir to his legacy enterprise in Ninjago City: Spark Industries." He flipped his small notebook and clicked his pen. "So, how does it feel to be found after so many years? What do you plan to do to run Spark Industries now that you're the found heir? Also. . . what's up with your chest?"

Zane's eyes went wide at the mention of his chest. He glanced down to see his heart hum brightly under his gi and grabbed his mask from his belt, stuffing it into his gi to hide it. At least hide it more from the public. But these questions didn't make sense to him. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I don't know what you're talking about. What is Spark Industries? And who was this mysterious caller?"

Jay had to tap his chin as he pondered about Spark Industries. Why did it sound familiar to him? Suddenly the name came to him and he turned Zane to face him. "I can help you with that," he smiled. "Spark Industries is one of the top corporations in all of Ninjago. Ninjago City Tower is number one and Oscorp is second. But Spark, however, is the top proprietor in manufacturing weapons. I read that in an article that they'll help stop Serpentine, Skulkin, ooh and even those monsters from the Solstice Battle." He glanced at Lucas.

"Hey, not my fault, okay?" the Ninja of Water retorted. "I was only doing what I was forced to do and I was the one who sealed the portal and destroyed the mirror." He glanced at Zane to see he was still confused with everything. "But right now, Zane's not going to get any answers if we stutter here with the media on us. We have to find this Spark Industries for Zane."

"I don't think we have another choice," Kai agreed. "But what about them? They'll follow us everywhere."

The grey ninja smirked. "I got it covered." He closed his eyes to focus on his elemental powers and opened his eyes to reveal milky white eyes as he stared at the sky.

The air slowly became humid and moist as Zane sensed it in his sensors, glancing around as fog was beginning to form and surround the group. His eyes were having a hard time to see past anything; like being in the mysterious Misty Forest. He heard the media stumbling and shifting to the sudden weather change, searching for him, but felt someone grab his hand and was lead back to the lower levels of the ship to meet up with his family. "I must say, your powers as a guardian have been quite helpful in many situations," the ice ninja complemented.

All the grey ninja can do was smirk. "And as an added bonus," he said and waved his hands to materialize the fog and pointed to the roof of the building next door. "I added a little extra time for us to help Zane."

Zane lifted his gaze upward to the roof to see what had meant to be seen. Before him and his family stood seven multicolored ninja and one samurai perched on the ledges as they gazed down at the Bounty. Even the blue one, being Jay, waved to them and the real Jay waved back uneasily. The white ninja stood amazed to the water ninja's ability with water. Using water droplets and sunlight to blend them all together and created mirages; like if one were in a desert without water to see visions. Basically misty clones. His thoughts were pulled away as he heard the media being attracted by them and soon heard them leave as Lucas controlled the clones to leave. All over the Bounty was silence. Nothing more.

"Not only effective to be used on the Mandarin," Cole observed. "But also effective to use on the media. Nice work." Lucas directed a cocky smile at Kai, who glared back at him. The black ninja now regretted that, rolling his amber eyes. "Okay, with them off our backs," he continued. "Our next objective is to find out who this mysterious caller is that knows of Zane. There's got to be something behind this. We have to find out soon before they realize we're not them."

"How?" Nya inquired.

"Simple, sis," Kai said. "We're gonna go to Spark Industries to find our answers. Whoever this mysterious caller is must've been from that place and is most likely still there. I don't know of any other places this person could know about Zane. What do you think, Zane?"

Going to Spark Industries. . . seemed like a logical solution to the Ninja of Ice. As Kai said, the mysterious caller had to be from there to know him. So it seemed like there was no other choice. "I think it's logical to go," he agreed with the fire ninja. "I don't have any other solution to configure on this, and it may be the only choice."

"Then it's settled," Cole confirmed. "I say we've got ten minutes before they come back. Get changed into regular clothes and we catch the next subway train to Downtown Ninjago City. Let's go see who this person is."

Zane watched as his family nodded to the plan to nod to himself. Whoever knows him, must have a reason to send the media on him. Who was he though? That was his question. And how does he know of him and his father? So many questions consumed him, but with the amount of time they had left before their diversion vanished, he didn't hesitate to follow after his brothers to their room. The logical way was to know who this caller was. What could he expect though?

* * *

 **What can he expect there then? Hmm... Looks like we'll have to find out next week. I just love it when I leave you all in suspense. Hehehe! But what can Zane expect then if he goes to Spark Industries? And will the media catch onto him for being the lost son and heir. Find out next week!**


	6. Spark Industries

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. Last week with Zane, being surrounded the news media for being the lost heir to a unknown corporation known as Spark Industries. Now he has a new objective, to seek the unknown caller at Spark Industries. Let's see if he'll get his answers.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Spark Industries**

The metal floor of the subway car rattled as it traversed along the metal tracks. The cars swayed gently to the movement as it climbed up into daylight from the underground tunnels; signifying its arrival to Downtown Ninjago City. The part of the city that never sleeps and is flooded with skyscrapers of the many businesses that run through all of Ninjago. Within the sea of towering buildings stood either Spark Tower or Spark Industries. The buildings that Zane had to find so he could discover the identity of the mysterious caller.

His dark blue eyes scanned around the crowded subway car cautiously in hopes that no one would recognize him from the news report. Thankfully, the hood of his sweatshirt was hiding him. Even his friends were in disguise like him so they wouldn't be recognized, but the downfall was that they look like odd characters in the subway. Like a gang of some sorts, but he knew that wasn't like them at all. Just a group of ninja teenagers incognito from the media and public until they get their answers from Spark Industries.

As the car declined in acceleration as it approached the station, the ice ninja knew the train was stopping and it was their destination to get out and walk the rest of the way. Along the way, he had done some research in his processor to find the location of the corporation and found out it wasn't too far from their stop. The train came to a full stop to notify the nindroid they reached their stop and, soon, they all quickly climbed out and down the stairs to be on the streets and ducked into an alley; thankful no one reported the media after their exit.

"Okay, so far so good. . ." Jay stated as he removed his beanie to fix his ruffled mop of auburn hair. "But, now we still have to find this place. And this part of the city is huge. Like a maze. It just surprises me how my uncle makes his way through here to work. We're, like, hooped if we can't find our way before someone calls the media and surround Zane before we get our answers. What do we do then?"

"Don't worry, brother," Zane reassured and pushed his sleeve up to his elbow to open the panel in his left arm before typing into it. "I already did a quick search on the location and it's not too far from here. Just down a few blocks." He typed on a few keys to project a hologram from his eyes onto a blank wall, showing the map for his team to study.

The Ninja studied the map and shrugged. It didn't as bad as Jay had made it out to be. They had a path to follow now. "Well, what are we waiting for now?" Cole said, poking his head around the corner to see if spectators were watching them. He sighed in relief that the coast was clear. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can be back without the media on our shoulders." He saw them nod in agreement and lead the way into the streets.

The pathway didn't seem as long or crowded as Zane had thought as he followed along in the group. He stood in the middle of the group since he figured that being in the lead with Cole or in the back would attract attention to him. It felt safer being surrounded and hidden with his friends, but his heart was causing a predicament; acting like a beacon. The translucent blue disc shone softly through the layers of his clothing and thick sweatshirt. He knew he should've borrowed one of Cole's when he had offered. But he can't rewrite the past. He'd deal with it for now.

The Ninja slowly eased up as they turned the corner. As they approached Spark Industries, they stopped. They thought they would find a skyscraper for the company, but it was merely a five to six story building that stretched itself a block with a circular shape to the building and windows, surrounded by a grassy landscape that stretched itself over the block as well. Most corporations they knew would take up a block for their skyscrapers. But this one seemed small with a. . . park in the back for the landscape? This was Spark Industries?

"Um. . ." the blue ninja stammered. "Are we at the right place?"

Zane scanned the property with his eyes, trying to get a confirmation. This was definitely the place with the mysterious caller. What else would it be? His algorithms and processors don't lie after all. Without answering, the ice ninja simply walked away from the group, heading for the entrance, leaving his family behind. And, to top it off, he removed his hood to reveal his face and blonde hair to the world as he stood in front of the glass doors. He gazed at the curved windows of the half circular side of the building, knowing that inside was the one who called about him. Zane drew in a deep breath and walked past the glass doors that opened as he approached with his friends trailing behind.

All eyes scanned through the large lobby of Spark Industries as they stood still; puzzled on their next objective. Zane looked around with his dark blue eyes and noticed conference rooms on each floor with windows along to waiting rooms on the side. But his eyes were set on the service desk of the lobby and walked towards it. He didn't even become bothered by the surprising looks and whispers about him from the employees of the company. Never thought he would come here after what he had encountered this morning, did they?

"M-Mr. Julien!?" the receptionist stuttered. "What a surprise to see you after this morning's news. W-Welcome to Spark Industries."

The blonde teen met up with the receptionist and gave her a warm smile. Her stuttering slowly left her as she softly gave him a shy smile back, tucking a strand of raven hair behind her ear and glancing away with her green-grey eyes. "I apologize about my sudden arrival after this morning," he said to her softly. "But I, as well as my family, came to speak with your supervisor. I believe he was the one who called in about me."

The smile convinced the young receptionist to lift her gaze and smile back at him. But it slowly developed into a frown. "I'm sorry, but he's not in at the moment," she said, causing Zane to step back. He even ignored Kai's complaining grunt about coming here for nothing. "But I can get you with his secretary as she's coming down to get some documents from me in a minute." She looked past the nindroid and gasped quietly at a familiar face. "Cole! You're all right!" She placed her hands on the counter to swing herself over and rush towards the earth ninja, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I was so worried about you."

A small smile played on the Ninja of Earth's face as he hugged her back; leaving everyone confused. "I'm fine, Dawn," he said softly in her ear. "I knew you would get worried after that attack in the city, but I'm fine. I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls about it. I'll make it up to you one day with lunch, sound good?"

The girl, Dawn, nodded. "Sounds good then," she said, and turned her head to the sound of heels clicking on the marble stairs. She quickly composed herself and straightened her yellow blouse. "Mr. Julien, I present to you, Iris Rock."

Zane turned towards the staircase to see who was coming down, quietly gasping with wide eyes. A girl in her teens walked down the stairs with her heels clicking after each step. Hair black as night hair had an iris flower brooch tucking hair away from her eyes, eyes light and soft brown contrasted her olive skin. And her amethyst colored blouse complimented brightly over her black work coat and skirt. Zane couldn't find his voice, but felt his heart humming softly to her beauty, feeling. . . awestruck. What was this feeling he was experiencing?

"Mr. Julien, I presume?" the secretary, Iris, greeted and held her right hand out. Zane's eyes were still fixed on her soft brown eyes as he felt someone jabbing him in the ribs to snap him out of his trance. He stuttered his words and gently took her hand to shake it softly. "A shy one, are we?" she laughed a little and drew her hand back. "Welcome to Spark Industries. I am Iris Rock, as Dawn may have mentioned, and am the secretary to this corporation. And, yes, I may seem young, I get that a lot, but I'm the best for my supervisor."

Nothing came from the ice ninja as he stared at the girl with awestruck eyes. At a young age she was a secretary. He just couldn't find his words as he stared at her more. . . amazed and puzzled. What was this emotion he was feeling toward her? The blonde teen snapped out of his trance again to stutter on his words. Jay saw his stuttering and quickly walked up next to him, patting him on the back softly. "What he's trying to say is that it's an honor to meet you and he also wishes to meet your supervisor," he said for his nindroid brother. Zane looked at him and Iris to nod as it was true. "We only came here to know if he can meet him and ask how he knows Zane and why he had the media on us. That's all."

Iris bit her bottom lip as she looked around nervously. Zane saw this and raised a brow. "I'm sorry, but I'm sure Dawn mentioned that he's not in at the moment," she said calmly. "And he told me not to mention anything about him until you two officially meet. He should be in soon. Come, we can wait outside of his office." She turned on her toes to head upstairs, but stopped at the first step and sighed. "Korinna, I told you to wait in my office. I'm almost done with work."

Zane glanced up at the top of the stairs to watch a girl, probably younger than Lloyd's age, with long hair as black Iris' with the same eye color. She also had a pink flower brooch in her hair and wore a white undershirt under a pink sweatshirt and skirt with black leggings. All eyes were trained on Iris and the small girl named Korinna. What was she doing here? "I was bored, Rissy," Korinna whined as she stood at eye level with the secretary. "I finished all of my school work and it's boring in your office. Plus, I forgot my colored pencils at school so I can't draw even."

The white ninja watched a small smile play on Iris' lips and heard her chuckle a little. "Oh, Rinna," she mused and turned to the Ninja. "Everyone, this is my little sister, Korinna. Korinna, these are the Ninja that protect Ninjago and the city. And look, there's a boy you can play with if you're bored."

The girl glanced past her sister to make eye contact with Lloyd and gave him an annoyed look. And the green ninja seemed to give her one as well. "But Rissy, boys are smelly and dumb," she complained.

"Hey!" Lloyd chastised and glared at her, wanting to charge at her, but Lucas kept a hold of his sweatshirt.

The girl huffed at him. "Plus the only boy I trust is Marky, but I wish he was here."

Sighing, Iris had to pity her little sister on the mention of their cousin, Mark. She couldn't forgive him for what he'd done to the two of them while he's gone, but she knew Korinna missed him a lot. "I know you do, Rinna," she sighed. "But we can discuss that later. Right now, we have visitors and one is even the heir to this place. His name is Zane Julien." She stepped aside to reveal the white ninja.

Korinna stared at the teen and felt that he seemed odd in a way. She couldn't figure out what it was about him though. What made her look at him more oddly was the glowing disc underneath his sweatshirt. "What's wrong with your chest?" she pried.

In an instant reaction, he put a hand over his chest to try and hide his heart, but sighed as it was still shining through the parts he didn't cover. "Nothing," he replied softly, forming a small smile on his thin lips. "It's nice to meet you, Korinna. My name is Zane, as your sister mentioned, but I'm more curious as to how I'm the heir here."

"All will be explained soon, I promise," Iris interjected, softly grabbing her sister's hand to lead the group upstairs to the third floor and down a hall. Zane glanced around and noticed a portrait of his father in his younger years, leaning against a desk in what could have been his office, and slowed his pace. It was definitely him from his memories. Same brown colored hair and dark blue eyes with the wire rimmed glasses and lab coat. He felt convinced now that he was the heir to Spark Industries.

"I see that you're convinced then, after the fiasco this morning?" Iris spoke up.

Zane had jumped a little, as he was startled to see his heart brighten and dim. He turned to see her warm smile and smiled back at her before turning back to the painting of his father and sighing softly. "I am convinced," he said quietly. "But I find this confusing. How am I an heir and never knew about it? I would like to know why. And soon, if it's not too much to ask."

"All will be answered when my supervisor arrives," Iris stated softly and led Zane away from the portrait while leading everyone further down the halls to another set of stairs. An idea came to her suddenly. "Instead of waiting in the lobby, how does a tour sound while we wait?"

"No need for that, Iris," a voice chirped, causing the group to jump a bit. "I'll cover it. There's someone I need to meet very much."

Zane turned his gaze to the exciting toned voice and watched another teenager, possibly a year older than him, walk down the stairs. His hair was jet black and grew to almost touch his shoulders, longer than Cole's shaggy hair, with a rubber band holding it in a small ponytail. Eyes were dark blue, the same as his and his father's. What surprised him the most was the red glowing disc protruding from his chest, underneath his black thermal shirt. When he met up with Zane, he stared down at him for being an inch taller than him and pulled him into a tight embrace. The ice ninja only blinked, trying to comprehend what he was doing until he drew back to see the wide grin. "Hello, Zane," he greeted softly. "It's so good to see you. It's been a long, long time. I am Xander and. . ." He chuckled a bit as he finished his words. "I'm your older brother."

* * *

 **Suspense... Surprises... So many things happening now... Find out next week!**


	7. Xander Julien

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update, I really don't have much to say except that I left you all in suspense in the last chapter, but let's find out what happens.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Xander Julien**

Baffled. Startled. Confused. Shocked. Even his family was lost for words. Zane has a brother!? The ice ninja stood rigid to the teen-ehm, his brother-in front of him. The name sounded foreign. This was much different than when he called his best friends brothers. He had always been an orphan, in an adoptive family of elemental brethren. How was Xander his true brother if he had no memories of him?

The Ninja of Ice's eyes hummed as he scanned his supposedly called brother. Xander was an android as well. Metal endoskeleton that looked like a human skeleton, switches adorned the inside of his chest cavity with wires that powered him. Even the red disc-like heart was on his chest. Zane felt convinced now that he may have a real brother. "I don't understand," he said finally. "How do I have a brother when I have no records of you when my-or our-father created me? This doesn't compute at all."

A small chuckle escaped from the ice ninja's so called brother, making him tense up a little. "I can ask the same question when Father first created you." Xander mused to reach into his pockets to pull out his wallet and pulled out a small photo. "Maybe this will help jog your databanks of our sibling relations." He handed him the photo.

The blonde haired teen studied the photo and only blink as he gazed at it more. In the small photo it showed him and his father, but it also had Xander next to his father so he was between. The only known photo he had was of him with his father and falcon in their Birchwood Forest home. But the more he stared at the photo, the more he gazed at their chests with the glowing discs protruding out of their clothes; both colored blue. "I'm sorry, but no memories seem to form of our past," he apologized and handed Xander the photo back. "But I do accept the unknown fact that I have a. . . biological brother. But I'm really curious as to how your power source is different than mine from the photo. And I am also curious why I don't remember you from when Father turned my memories switch off."

"Like I said, I can ask the same on why Father did that to you to forget about me," Xander stated and stowed the photo away in his wallet. "But, as for my power source, I can explain that quite quickly." He drew in a deep breath as he could recall the night very well. "You were failing to live, for your old power sources had failed and we thought it was over. But Father was sleep-deprived and he had nightmares about something dark happening in Ninjago." This had the Ninja tense up, wanting to know more about the something happening to Ninjago. "So he created us to help protect him and Ninjago. But look at you, an elemental ninja. Anyway, your power source is known as an Arc Reactor, since Father kept trying to bring you to life. It's powered by a fusion source that is unknown to all of Ninjago. I did the same to myself, but my fusion source denied my body so I created my own. I call it Extremist. Both of our energy sources run clean and the reason why they're like this is unknown. I think it's because we're connected, as brothers, but as soon it happened to me, I knew you were still alive after Father's passing. I thought you were gone forever, but I'm glad you're safe and alive. I'm also sorry for having the media on you this morning, but I had to see if it was really you, after doing research."

"Wait, you're the mysterious caller that had us thrown into the public eye?" Kai blurted out. He saw him nod oddly. "No offense, but you made us targets! If the Mandarin wants us dead after their last attempt that almost had Zane killed-"

"What!?" Xander screamed out a bit and turned to his younger brother.

"But, but," Jay interjected. "He survived because a force field came from his heart and shielded him. We thought he was gone too, but we're happy he's alive. You should be happy as well, he's your brother."

The raven haired teen turned to his younger brother worriedly to see if it was true. He could see the truth in Zane's dark blue eyes and took a shaky breath. Zane gave him a small smile and rested a reassured hand on his shoulder. "Be still, brother," he said, but paused. It was the first time he'd said that now to someone he doesn't know much of, even if it is his brother. He moved his hand away shyly. This was going to take some getting used to. "I am very grateful to have such a great coincidence on surviving a Mandarin attack. But we found a clue that we're puzzled on. After the attack, we found that this follower had something of Father's, or mostly, something of Father's work."

Xander raised a brow. "Go on."

Zane lifted his sweatshirt sleeve to open the panel in his left arm and began to type on the keys as a hologram projected from his eyes. The hologram flickered to show his brother the scrap of metal with the insignia of their father. "This was in the wreckage my brothers found after I blacked out and we believe that he had something of Father's to frame him for the attacks," he said. "Or that was an android, like us. We don't know what to believe now."

Xander studied the image and pondered as it disappeared. An android? Something of their father's that would have that insignia. How peculiar. "I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know anything," he said, but an idea came to him. "But maybe the rest of the family may know. I have a feeling the one who attacked you had something stolen from us. Come." He led the way.

Zane stopped to look over his shoulder curiously. Even his family sounded as confused as he was. "Rest of the family?" he wondered to quickly walk up to him with the group behind him.

"Oh yes," Xander chuckled. He led the group and his secretary farther down the hall. "Before Father passed away, he feared his nightmares were coming and wanted more protection to help Ninjago. He never got around to them as he only cared for us. But I had happen to find the documents and, well. . .created a new family." They came to a set of doors. "Zane, I present to you, our family," and opened the double doors.

The white ninja gazed around the large room consistently housed with a boxing ring; punching bags, lifting weights, and an agility course on one side of the room. Must be a recreational center, he wondered, turning his head to the other side of the room to see it with lab tables and gadgets on work benches. He could've sworn he heard Jay gasp about the laboratory of gadgets. But in front of him were four teenagers, three females and one male, buzzing around. Three of which were on the recreational side while the fourth was in the laboratory. And with a quick scan, he found out they were all androids, like him and his brother. "I-I have siblings?" he stammered to try and compute this.

"Well. . . metaphorically speaking you do." Xander reassured and pat his back softly. "Three of which were some of Father's work that were unfinished designs, as I said before, and he couldn't replace us as his sons. The fourth though was a design of my own to have a. . . companion to be with. I think you'll like her. Come on, I'll introduce you to the family."

The Ninja followed after Zane's brother, a bit confused. Family? Other androids? Was this real then, and not a dream? "Is it me or did we step into the future!?" Jay squealed as he kept his eyes on the laboratory. To which he was given a hard stare for his childish tone. But Zane didn't bother to comply and gazed at the two teens in the boxing ring. It appeared to be a heated fight.

Soft padded punches filled the area as the male with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes threw quick punches at the female with olive tone skin and long raven hair tied in a ponytail and light blue eyes at her protected chest pads and ducked as a punch was aimed for his head. But he recovered soon after to continue the match. "You think you got this match!" the male boasted as he swung a right hook at her unprotected side. "I train everyday and you know that." The more Zane watched this, the more he admired their speed and agility; quick and agile as a. . . well, as ninjas.

The girl strafed his attacks to see she was at the ropes to smirk. She jumped back to bounce onto the ropes used the stored energy to launch herself higher, swinging her right leg out to his chest to launch him back across the ring to land softly. Round over. "Let me tell you something," she smirked. "I train everyday too and still kicked your butt."

The male propped himself up on his elbows and glared at her. "That's not a fair match," he grumbled. "That's dirty boxing and you know it."

"Oh, don't be a sore loser," the girl teased and fixed her hair back into a ponytail. "I won fair and square and you know it." She saw him stick his tongue out at her to huff and turned on her heels as she heard some snickering. She was then greeted by eight people she wasn't familiar with, in addition to Xander, Iris, and Korinna. "Xander, who are these people?" she asked as she stepped out of the ring. "And why does the one in white look similar to you?"

Xander chuckled to the confusion and grabbed her hand to help her down. "Lily, I want you to meet my long lost brother, Zane." he introduced. "Zane, this is my girlfriend or companion, Lily."

A struck of awe flashed in Lily's eyes and she gasped quietly with a wide grin. To which she quickly pulled the blonde haired teen into a tight hug and pecked his cheek. "It's so great to finally meet you, Zane!" she squealed, pulling back to gaze at his confused face. "Xander has told us so much about you when he built and brought us to life. He's been upset that he couldn't ever find you, after you two were separated, and has always done everything in his power to find you. But now, here you are. I'm Lily, or sometimes called Shinxs, mostly from him though." She gestured to the teen in the ring.

"Yeah mostly because you cheat and don't play fair," he grumbled to climb out of the ring and grabbed a heavy circular weight to throw it at her, like a Frisbee. He watched it sail through the air, but gulped as she turned and caught it with her hand. "Oh crap. . ." and took off running.

"You're dead when I catch you!" Lily screamed, chasing after him.

Zane had a brow raised and he glanced over his shoulders to see them with small smiles, snickering. What was all that about? He heard his brother snicker now. "Oh, don't mind those two," his brother said. "They always bicker a lot and I, or the others, have to stop them. There's just something about them that make them rivals with each other."

"Kind of like Kai and Lucas fighting a lot back home," Cole remarked toward the fire and water ninja. He smirked as they glared. "Water and Fire just don't mix, and I usually have to break it up before they cause serious injury to each other. Am I right you two?"

"That's not true!" Kai and Lucas exclaimed.

Zane had to smile softly to his two brothers agreeing for once on something. That's a miracle. "I don't know, brothers." he smirked. "Cole is right. Last fight, you almost gave Jay a black eye."

"Which I'm glad you didn't!" Jay stated.

Xander chuckled softly, as his younger brother turned to him. "Seems like you and your friends get along just well then, don'tcha?" he wondered, seeing Zane smile softly and nod. "Likewise. Anyway, the one being chased is called James. And he has a twin sister, or as they like to be called twins. And she's up there." He pointed upward. Zane glanced up to see an obstacle course stretching across the ceiling, a smaller girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail ran along the course like a squirrel in the trees, without the need of a safety harness to ensure she wouldn't fall. But she made it across safely. "That there is Melody, or likes to be called Mel," Xander continued. "Interesting thing about them is that they like to be called the Yin and Yang Twins. We don't know why, but we accept them anyway. Come, there's one more person I'd like you to meet."

Zane nodded as he followed after him with his friends, walking over to the laboratory to glance at another teen working on a laptop while sitting cross-legged on one of the lab tables. He could see she had short wavy brown hair that reached her neck with her hazel eyes trained carefully on the screen. She glanced away for a brief second to the opened panel on her right arm. But the sound of unfamiliar feet caused her to lift her gaze and see who was entering. "What is it now, Xander?" she asked. "And who are they. . . wait. . . I think I know you. You're the Ninja, aren't you!?" She watched them nod and smile. "It's an honor to meet you." She glanced at the orange ninja. "I love your hair color. Matches your eyes very well."

The red haired girl gave her a shy smile back. "Thanks," she said while trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. "I like your hair as well. So short and wavy, it's cute."

The girl android smiled and turned back to Xander. "So, what's up?"

"Kiwi, this is my long lost brother my father created after me, Zane," the raven haired teen said, gesturing to his younger brother. "Zane, this is Kiwi. One of the brightest ones we have here. Not much of a fighter, but is very skilled in the scientific field. She's the one who found a better way to have this city run on alternative power, using the winds without the high costs of turbines and sites needed for it. Much better to use during the winter, when the Lightning Fields and power station there can't be collected." Kiwi systematically blushed to the compliments.

"Really now?" the ice ninja inquired to see him nod and turned to Kiwi to bow to her respectively. "It's a pleasure to meet you then. I loved your research when trying to find alternative power. I've tried numerous ways to help, but I congratulate you on your success."

"Thank you," Kiwi said, bowing back to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Zane. Xander has told us so much about you. I've always wondered if we were ever going to meet you."

"Well you got your chance," Xander smiled. "But Kiwi, we have a problem." He watched her become stiff at the prospect of a problem. "My brother was attacked by a Mandarin soldier and I'm thankful he survived it, but they found a clue that the guy was maybe an android and that he had an insignia of our father's. You're the best one in security detail. Has anyone stolen anything from here or Spark Tower? My brother and his friends can surely use this information if you have any."

Concerned, Kiwi turned to the panel in her arm, typing on the keys. She studied the video files from a couple nights ago, but frowned as nothing came up. "Sorry, but I don't see anything," she said. "Nothing was stolen from us. If there were, our security drones would've captured and obtained the suspect. So I have nothing useful to help you."

Zane had to frown to this, as well as his friends. They were so close, but now their trail had gone cold. "You're all right, Kiwi," said Xander. "Thanks for the help anyway." He saw her nod and turned to the ice ninja. "I'm sorry, Zane, but I don't know what else to do for you. Whoever this Mandarin is must've done this to frame Father by replicating his insignia. I'm sorry, but we tried to help."

All Zane could do was give him a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. "It's all right, Xander," he said. "I'm grateful for the help."

His brother smiled softly and pat his back. "Thanks. Why don't we continue with the tour then?"

* * *

All Zane could do was be amazed by everything on the tour. Their father was the well known millionaire of Ninjago; next to Oscorp and Ninjago City Tower, but he didn't care for the money he had, and rather focused on building his company. And it amazed him that Spark Industries wasn't manufacturing weapons as Jay said, but rather gadgets to help Ninjago when needed. Everything his brother had told him about when they were separated and creating the other four androids had. . . amazed him. Almost as if he. . . belonged here. The one thing he couldn't take his mind off was the secretary, Iris. During their tour, she and her sister had to depart from the tour and he couldn't stop thinking about her. To him, she was amazing. He still couldn't understand this feeling in his heart.

"And I guess this is where the tour ends," Xander said as they reached the lobby of the building. "I have to say, Jay, you seemed hyperactive when we were in the production area. Seemed like you enjoyed that the most, like with Lloyd in our break room that was filled with sweets. That somewhat amused me."

A grin spread from ear to ear on the blue ninja's face. "I felt like I've fallen and landed in a better place. I belong here," he said, love-struck.

"And these large candy bars are the best!" Lloyd managed to say through a mouthful of chocolate.

The raven haired teen smiled. "I'm glad to hear that," he said and turned to his younger brother. "Zane, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" Zane stared at him for a minute, but nodded and walked a few feet away from the group with his brother. "Zane, I. . . don't know how to say this but. . . I-I want you to come back home and live with me and stay with me. You're my brother and I want you back."

Zane had felt his heart hum abruptly to the sudden request. Leave his home and family to be with his brother? But. . . he felt like he couldn't do that. He is a ninja and they were his family. They took him in and accepted him for being an nindroid. But then again, he wasn't the only nindroid now and had a biological brother. He didn't know what to do. "I. . . I don't know," he replied finally. "I am a ninja and they're my family, but you are as well. I. . . just don't know."

Xander could see the uncertainty in his dark blue eyes and sighed, nodding as he understood. "Think it over then," he said. "Take all the time you need. When you are ready to make the choice, meet me at Spark Tower. I'll be there. And I'll take either answer. Sound good?"

Zane weighed on his options, but nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

 **Xander wanting him to leave the Ninja to live with him. Hmm... What would Zane choose? To leave the family that adopted him as an orphan, or to stay and not be with his brother and the others that are androids to where he felt like he belonged there. What will he choose?**


	8. Love Sick Over Noodles

**Hey everyone, happy Friday, time for a new update. Really have nothing to say today, but enjoy the update.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Love Sick Over Noodles**

Quiet conversations filled the large restaurant of Mr. Chen's Noodle House; well renowned for its fine cuisine of rice noodles and delicacies in Ninjago City. Although a few restaurants do spread through the city and land, the largest and most popular one is located in Downtown Ninjago City. The quiet hum of the conveyor belt that runs around the restaurant while carrying many individual meals never bothered the customers, as new dishes were added on from the kitchen, travelling around until they were picked off or disappeared back into the kitchen to start a new cycle. But, of course, it being at Mr. Chen's restaurants, the food on the moving belt never made its way back into the kitchen. The restaurant was popular for a reason: its dishes and interior design of ancient Ninjago feel; courtesy of tatami mats, samurai armor as decor, vaulted archways reminiscent of a palace or monastery. . .

Zane absentmindedly played with his chopsticks as he stared at his plate of rice with orange chicken and avocado sushi rolls, sighing quietly. One thing on his mind, as he stared at his dish, was his power source. This entire time, he always thought that if he ingested food, he would chemically digest food and use the carbohydrates and proteins to convert them into energy for his power source. But instead, as his brother said, his power source was a fusion powered convertor; a powerful known energy source that sounded dangerous. But he knew he was capable of ensuring it wouldn't be dangerous at all. But he still didn't mind the idea of eating food. It made him feel human. To which he brought himself back, holding his chopsticks properly in his fingers, and picked up a piece of chicken.

As he ate, he shifted his legs as he, and his friends, were kneeling on the soft tatami mats, following the ancient customs of their ancestors. He glanced around the low table. He could hear his friends engaging in a long conversation that he didn't want to bother joining. He had to glance at Cole, seeing that he was on his fourth dish already while he was still on his first. How can one ninja consume so much and still go for more, or even go for dessert, while the others were still on their first dish? It was beyond his algorithms to know. He then glanced over at Lloyd to see he looked a little sick as he stared at his plate, quietly groaning as he tried taking a bite of steamed rice. Zane couldn't blame him. It was probably from eating two of those large candy bars from his brother's company. That'll teach the youngest member not to consume so many sweets within an hour.

"How awesome do you guys think this is?" Jay exclaimed through a mouthful of food. He felt a hard nudge in his ribs, getting a hard stare from Nya for his rudeness of table manners. He chuckled nervously, finishing his bite and taking a deep breath. "But seriously, how cool is it that Zane actually has someone in his family other than his dad? A brother that's a nindroid too."

"I got to say, it is actually cool," Cole agreed while enjoying a plate of mochi. "We all thought Zane was an orphan, and an only child, but now that we met Xander, it basically changes everything now." He turned to Zane to see that their nindroid brother looked quiet and distant across. Being the leader, he could see the concern in his teammates. "Hey, Zane, you all right?" he wondered. "What do you think about this?"

"Uh. . . what?" the blonde teen paused, glancing away from his plate and making eye contact with the leader. He could see the concern in his amber eyes, and sighed. Sure, he was listening to their topic, but he didn't feel like joining in on it. "I. . . I don't know what to say. Really," he replied. "I'm still trying to compute all of this together as I have no memories of my brother. I never knew I had a brother and this feels odd and new to comprehend."

"Kind of like me, then," Lucas added in. "Being on the other side before, I never knew I had a cousin, let alone two being kids of Garmadon, until I stole Lloyd for him. Even when I was between life and death, I saw a vision of Laurie." He smiled at his youngest cousin, softly ruffling his hair. "And here we are now. A big family." He kept ruffling his hair to hear him groan sickly and had his hand pushed away.

"I guess I can say the same thing about you," Laurie said, rubbing her brother's back gently. "I never knew Uncle had been married or had a kid, yet I see a resemblance of Uncle. Strong, protective, and, well, a Spinjitzu Master. I just never knew it was you when I found Lloyd's pocket watch, with the picture you two together." She could see a small smile playing on the edge of Lucas' lips, and smiled back. "I'm glad you were there to keep Lloyd safe while I was gone."

"And since you came looking for Lloyd," Kai added, leaning in to kiss the orange ninja on the lips. "I got to meet you."

A chuckle escaped the blue ninja, causing Zane turn his head toward him. "Oh get a room," Jay teased, receiving a glare from the spiky haired brunet, but he shrugged it off. "But I wasn't the one staring at Cole's cousin." He stared at the grey ninja with a smirk, watching him become nervous as he looked at Cole sitting next to him and was given a death glare. "Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?"

The death glare loomed over the Ninja of Water as the earth ninja growled quietly. Zane snickered a bit. Jay was a dead man if Lucas was still alive after dinner. "You were googly eyeing my cousin? The one that I treat like a baby sister?" the black ninja growled.

A nervous laugh escaped the brunet, and he raised his hands defensively. He had somehow crossed the line, according to Cole. "I wouldn't call it googly eyeing," he stuttered. "But more of. . . getting to know her more, and maybe have lunch?" He heard Cole growl a bit more, and gulped nervously.

"So what would you call it then?" Cole demanded.

"I-I. . . guess googly eyeing. . ." the grey ninja admitted. He gulped more under Cole's death glare. "But I wasn't the only one doing that to a girl there." He gestured towards the ice ninja from across the table.

Zane had dropped his chopsticks on the table at the mention of him seeing someone. Now everyone was staring at him. He thought no one had noticed him acting strange around Iris, but apparently he'd been spotted. In fact, as he recalled, he was sure everyone saw him acting strange around the secretary. "I-I don't know what you mean?" he lied.

"You know, Lucas is right," Kai stated. "I do recall seeing Zane look nervous around that secretary." He formed a small smile. "Care to explain, buddy?"

Sighing, the ice ninja knew he couldn't hide his secret. With everyone knowing he was acting weird towards Iris, there was no way he could lie to them. "It's. . . nothing, really," he admitted while regaining his chopsticks. "I don't know what I was experiencing when trying to talk to her. So I'm sure it's nothing."

"It's called a crush, Zane," Jay remarked. "It's common for someone to fall in love." A huge grin formed on his face as he sat next to Zane, roughly patting his back, causing him to cause him to choke on his food. "Look at that, our icy brother is in love!"

His cheeks were beginning to warm up with the synthetic liquid that kept his circuits cooled, a form of blushing to the word of "love". So that's what he was experiencing when he was around Iris. He was in love. "Well, good for you, Zane," Nya smiled. "I always wondered if you would find someone, and you did. When you gonna see her again, do you know?"

Zane couldn't stop his blushing. He became nervous with prying ears and eyes on him. This felt too embarrassing for him to handle. Almost like he had actual butterflies in his stomach again. No, wait, these were the nerves Jay had told him about. This was making him uncomfortable. This was something new to him. "I-I. . ." he stammered.

"So wait. . ." Lloyd groaned through his bellyache. He figured that would teach him not to go too far on those large candy bars. "How can Zane fall in love when he's a nindroid? That's weird."

The blush on the white ninja's face faded. Indeed, it did seem odd for a nindroid like him to fall in love with a person. And yet, he was in love. "I don't know how to explain it," he said. "I may be a robot, but I guess I am in love. So I can't explain it."

"There's no need to explain, Zane," the samurai stated. "If you're in love, you're in love." She then turned to Lloyd. "And it's not weird at all, pint-size. Zane is in love and there's nothing wrong with that. Remember, he's a teen like all of us, with the ability to actually fall in love in a way. And it's great to know he has feelings for a real person." She couldn't help but smile and try to stifle a giggle. "You know, you can fall in love too, Lloyd. Korinna seems like the kind of girl for you."

The green ninja had a disgusted look on his face and stuck his tongue out in a fake gag reflex. "Gross! No way!" he exclaimed. "Girls like her have cooties and I definitely don't want them from her. Even when I'm not feeling so hot right now." He tried to take another bite of rice, but groaned after he swallowed the small lump he'd scooped up.

"Oh, just you wait, pipsqueak," Jay smirked. "When you're our age, you'll see that girls aren't like that at all. Take me and Nya for example. Love at first sight." He heard her giggle a bit and blushed after she kissed his cheek. He turned to see the still disgusted look on the boy's face, and chuckled softly before turning to Zane. "So Zane," he continued. "What was it that Xander wanted to talk to you about before we left?"

"Yeah, what was that all about?" Cole wondered as he ate a small platter of Pocky sticks. "What was it that he wanted to talk about?"

Zane had to look away at the thought of it. He just couldn't bear to reveal his brother's request of leaving them to live with him and the other androids. His brothers would be devastated to hear the request and his response if he agreed to live with Xander. He was a nindroid like his brother and the others he'd met. He belonged with them. But he was also a ninja like his brothers and sisters, being Nya and Laurie, and they accepted him and took him in when he was nothing but an orphan from a small, snowy village. He just couldn't decide. Sighing, he just shrugged. "Nothing," he lied. "It was nothing, really."

* * *

 _"Hello, Zane." A gently toned voice greeted him. "I am your brother. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

 _Dark blue eyes gazed at the unknown teenager in front of him, tilting his head, confused. His eyes suddenly enlightened to understand the term brother, and slowly dimmed as he understood. He smiled. "I have a brother?" he asked, seeing Xander nod with a smile. "Brother!" Zane wrapped his arms around his brother, pulling him into a tight embrace._

 _The smile grew on the raven haired teen's face as he stuttered for a minute on the hug, but returned it to comfort him. It was a miracle to see him alive after the failed attempts of his previous batteries. He just couldn't believe it. But after a quick scan to see the power efficiency of his power source, Xander was amazed. It was better than his. "Father, is it possible my batteries can be upgraded like his?" he asked._

 _A frown formed on Julien's face. He wasn't sure how to explain it. "I'm sorry, but I don't know if it's possible at the moment," he said. A frown now formed on his now oldest son's face to. "Right now, we don't know how his power source is handling his body and, with yours on rechargeable battery cells, it's best to wait." Xander gazed deeply in his father's eyes, nodding and sighing while turning to his younger brother with a small frown._

* * *

Tired eyes slowly pried themselves open, greeted with the darkness of the shared bunkroom. Zane glanced around from his bed, being on the bottom bunk he shared with Jay, and brightened his eyes to see the time displayed on the inside of his eyes. It was past midnight. He sighed since he couldn't sleep now, propping himself up on his elbows and gazing around the shared room. He could easily hear Jay mumbling in his sleep in the bed above him through the loud snores of Cole and Kai adjacent to him, softly smiling at the normalcy of it all. He gazed at the bunk bed next to him to see that Lucas was gone, but his eyes averted downward to Lloyd's bed. Zane saw the grey ninja lying down with him, a small bucket near him in case Lloyd's stomach caused him pain during the night. Now he understood the concept of a bellyache. Even after he'd given him medicine to help relieve the pain in his stomach.

But to the white ninja, it was a normal night for him and his brothers. Enjoying late night conversations about events that happened to them during the day, stories of their past, all kinds of stuff before bed. It was one of the great things he loved doing with his family. That and training and fighting alongside them against Serpentine or Skulkin, or even Garmadon. But with his long lost brother entering his life and the request to live with him, Zane felt lost. He didn't know what to do.

He was a nindroid like his brother and the others he'd met and everything about them made him feel welcomed and comfortable. Like he truly belonged there. But he belonged on the Destiny's Bounty with his brothers. He couldn't decide now. This request had been bothering him after Jay had asked him about it at the restaurant. He didn't want to tell his brothers about it. He just knew that they'd be upset if he left. But his brother would be upset as if he didn't live with him. He just couldn't decide. What would one of his brothers do?

At the thought of that, he remembered Lucas sacrificing himself to Garmadon after he and Lloyd had saved him and his brothers from being controlled by him, but that was different. It would have the same aftermath now that Zane thought about it. When Lucas left, Lloyd and the others were heartbroken to his departure, but were renewed with joy when he returned. So for the ice ninja, it's a different experience to handle and decide. But the more he thought about it, the more it began to dawn on him. It made more sense to him if he chose this. He would be grateful about his choice. And Zane knew his brother would agree with him. And no hearts would be broken or shattered.

A smile now grew on his face as he finally thought about his choice. Zane slowly brought himself back to a tired state, drifting off to sleep. A new day would begin for him and he knew what he had to do first thing in the morning.

Head to Spark Tower.

* * *

 **Hmm... What's his choice? Leave his elemental brothers to be with his brother? Or stay with his elemental brothers, but leave his brother sad that he's not living with him? Hmm... Tough choice here, right? Find out next week.**


	9. JARVIS

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. Last week you were all curious about Zane's choice to live with his brother or stay with his friends. Let's see what he has decided on. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: J.A.R.V.I.S**

Large granite walls surrounded the white ninja as he sat on the wrap around couch that stood upon the granite floor in the center of the room. Before the couch stood an elegant, round coffee table with a stylish modern chandelier above. In front of him were large windows that allowed the morning sunlight to brighten the den, illuminating the granite walls and floors with a tinted green color. On the right of him was a small kitchenette with a bar counter and his left stood a set of stairs that probably lead to the upper levels of the tower his brother lived in.

Zane had to admit that the suite his brother lived in at Spark Tower was truly a magnificent. "I must say," he perked up. "Father lived well in such a great and detailed home. It reminds of me when my brothers and I tried to rent out this expensive apartment; biggest regret of our lives, until we found a much affordable home until we won our ship back."

A small smile played on Xander's face as he leaned against the dark grey stone fireplace, laughing. "I figured you'd like it here," he smiled. "It's where I and the others stay since I own this and Father's business."

Zane had to glance around the large living complex. It seemed much more quiet than he'd expected. "And where are the others?" he wondered. "It's very quiet."

"I sent them out to have a late breakfast so you and I can talk alone and in peace," his brother replied, walking over and taking a seat adjacent to Zane. He gazed at his younger brother, softly smiling, grateful to see him after yesterday. Had he already made up his mind on the request? "So, you've come to Spark Tower on such short notice. Has something troubled you? Or have you finally decided on an answer to my request?"

Sighing, Zane nodded, for he had made up his mind. Even after practicing it so many times, he was still worried about how his brother would react to his decision. But, thanks to his algorithms, he'd calculated that the chances of his brother disagreeing with him were minimal. Zane felt confident. "I've made my decision and, I'm sorry to say but, I have to deny your request," he replied. He saw a frown form on Xander's face, and sighed. "Right now I have a duty to uphold as a ninja, and my friends need me the most to keep Ninjago safe. I understand you're my brother. I've been having dreams or memories entering my databanks, but I don't remember enough about you to feel comfortable living with you. I'm sorry, Xander, but I can't stay."

The frown on Xander's face was tightly plastered across his lips, but it soon changed to a small smile. His eyes glinted with understanding, and he nodded. The white ninja smiled back, happy to know that Xander was okay with his choice. "Thanks for being honest with me, Zane," he said, patting his brother's back gently. "I guess I was being a bit. . . rash to want you back in my life. But I understand. You have a job as a ninja and are just as busy as I am. We'll have to do a lot of planning then to see each other more so we can. . . rekindle our sibling relationship. Maybe later today, we should have some lunch. Sound good?"

The smile on the nindroid's lips remained as he nodded. That did sound good to him. "Sounds like a plan. And perhaps I can cook for us. I'm well known for my cooking on the Bounty. You'll love it."

Xander chuckled. "I'll see about that." He heard something ringing and lifted the panel in his left arm, sighing. "I have to take this, Zane. It's a conference call. I'll be back." He stood up from his seat and disappeared up the stairs, leaving Zane alone.

His eyes gazed around the quiet complex as he softly sighed. He could hear his brother talking on the upper floors through the quietness, but figured it was going to be a while before Xander returned. But all and all, he was grateful to know that his brother agreed with his choice about not living with him. Sure, they were brothers, but Zane still didn't remember much about him. Though he'd started to have memories come flooding back to him in his sleep of him and Xander, he still had trouble really accepting him as a brother. But he knew that with planning in the future and spending time together today, they would rekindle what they'd lost. Of course, it'd take time.

Sighing, the blonde teen pulled himself up on his feet and shimmied off of the couch before walking over to the large, tall windows and gazing at the city below him with a small smile. The view was phenomenal, especially from such a great living space. He wondered how his father had started Spark Industries and why he never told him about it. Or had he told him before and then made him forget, just like how he didn't remember his brother? It was surely a question he'd never know the answer to. That and why his father had turned his memory switch off before he passed away. Something wasn't fitting in the puzzle. Was it to protect him from something? Or was it for something else? Maybe he'd never know for as long as he lived. Sighing as the thoughts clung to him, Zane tore himself from the window and tried to decided where to tour next.

After a quick minute of debating, he finally decided to take a look at the small kitchenette on his left. He quickly hopped down the small three tiered stairs that stretched across the den, to enter the kitchen. All he could glance at was the bar counter since the kitchen didn't have many of appliances aside from a fridge. He figured that his brother and friends weren't big food eaters, unlike himself to be human as his friends. Maybe the fridge held drinks or something. But out of everything, the kitchen seemed extremely empty. But, lying on the granite counter, his dark blue eyes caught sight of two silver bracelets. He picked them up curiously, raising a brow. They were light and bore the insignia of his father with a red bar running along the length. _Those weren't here before,_ he thought to himself.

"Put them on, sir," a robotic, monotone voice spoke up, causing Zane to jump. He quickly gazed around for the one who'd spoken to him, but no one was with him. He was still alone. "Put them on and come find me, sir." The voice sounded gentle and concerned at the same time. Zane pushed both sleeves of his gi up slipped both bracelets onto his wrists, still glancing around for the voice. Where was he? "On your left."

As instructed, the nindroid turned his head, staring at a blank wall with a small console panel. Confused, he cautiously walked up to it and tilted his head a bit, staring at it oddly. It reminded him of the intercoms back aboard the Destiny's Bounty, but it was made from more advanced technology. There wasn't a speaker on it or a microphone to speak into; nothing but a blue light on a small screen with two lines across it. Curious now, Zane stuttered on what to do and gently tapped on the screen, watching the lines vibrate lightly like sound waves. "Uh. . . hello?" he asked.

"Please, don't tap on me, sir," the same voice spoke, the lines on the screen vibrating as sound waves. Zane jumped a bit, surprised. So that's where the voice was coming from. "I hate it when people do that to me. But it's good to see you, Zane. I've been worried about you since you disappeared after Mister Julien's passing."

All Zane could do was blink at the thing speaking to him. Who was this? And how did he know him? The voice didn't sound human though, but more robotic. Like. . . an A.I. system. "Uh. . . who are you exactly?" he inquired. "And how do you know me?"

"Well, to answer your first question, I am known as J.A.R.V.I.S," the intercom replied. Zane raised an eyebrow. J.A.R.V.I.S? "It's a name your father gave me when he programmed me, known as Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. And I am an Artificial Intelligence system, or A.I. for short. And how I know you is rather simple. I was there with you and your brother growing up. I'm the one who helped you as you were developing. I'm your oldest teacher. And it's wonderful to see you again."

Again all the blonde teen could do was blink. No words formed on his lips as he stared at. . . his old teacher. First his brother, then admitting he had fallen in love with Iris, and now this. So much was happening to him. And he didn't have any memories about J.A.R.V.I.S either. "Uh. . . it's nice to see you as well," he finally said.

"Likewise," J.A.R.V.I.S agreed, the screen flickering brightly as he spoke. "But we'll reintroduce ourselves later. Right now your brother can't be trusted and your life is in danger. You need to get as far away from here as possible."

Zane was taken a back by the warning, feeling a bit confused. Xander couldn't be trusted? And his life was in danger? What was happening? "I'm sorry?" he asked, puzzled. "But what do you mean my brother can't be trusted? What's going on?"

"You are being targeted by the Mandarin," the A.I. replied. "You hold something deep within your databanks that they want. They want you dead and your brother is one of them. He is not to be trusted. He is playing you to gain your trust and will kill you before you know it. Your life is in danger and you have to go now before it's too late. Xander thinks he's shut me down and erased me, but that was only a decoy. Take my advice before it's too late, sir."

Startled and confused, the nindroid couldn't find his words. Xander was a Mandarin follower and wanted him dead? That couldn't be true. His brother was grateful to see him alive and there's wasn't any evidence of him being associated with the Mandarin. So it couldn't be true. And what was in his databanks that they would want? Surely nothing. What if the A.I. was wrong and it was the one that couldn't be trusted? Zane huffed. "How do I know you're not lying and that you're the Mandarin? Xander would never do anything to me. I'm his brother. And that's that." He turned on his toes to walk away and find his brother.

"Please, take my advice and be ready, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S warned. "War is about to happen and you're going to need help from me and your friends. And if I were you, I'd keep those bracelets on for the next minute, because I have video footage of the Mandarin and it's coming. Get to the window, now!"

Zane stopped in his tracks and turned back, glaring at the A.I. to start arguing with him, but the elevator doors opened next to him as he stood in the center of the den. He gazed at the darkened spot as no one came out, but a large object stood in the center. It had three metal cylinders all entwined with a panel in front. And the panel lit up to start a countdown from thirty seconds. Zane's eyes widened.

It was a bomb!

In instant haste, Zane quickly rushed to the windows, skidding to a stop as he found no doorway to a balcony or anything. His fists pounded against the glass at their weakest points, but nothing was breaking. He glanced over his shoulders and started panicking more as the timer was nearing zero. He had to try and break the glass more, creating a small spider web pattern. He felt hopeful on an escape, taking a step back as the last seconds ticked by. "Ninjaa-Goo!" he shouted as he ran, spinning into his icy tornado.

But as he charged at the window, the bomb erupted.

The force of the explosion had pushed Zane, causing him to lose concentration on his Spinjitzu and throwing his body against the window hard enough to break through it. Glass shattered around him after he broke through, but that was the least of his problems. His main issue was that he was now falling from Spark Tower. He started screaming as he fell toward the ground.

Rushed footsteps raced to the den as Xander had heard an explosion, gasping as he took in all of the damage. Glass littered the floor from the windows and glass tabletops, vases, pictures, and light fixtures. Fire burned in the kitchen and a large crater had formed where the elevator once was. He anxiously looked around for his brother, but heard someone screaming. The sound grew fainter as Xander quickly rushed to the destroyed windows, gazing down at the streets and gasping. "ZANE!" he shouted, but a smirk formed on his thin lips as he watched his brother fall. _All according to plan. . ._

"MRK 6 ready to be deployed!" J.A.R.V.I.S exclaimed. A column in the wall swiveled to reveal a red capsule that was tall as a man. Xander turned immediately to the A.I, becoming confused at the presence of the capsule. MRK 6? "Engage!" Sparks ignited from the small thrusters as it took flight, rushing past the android and racing towards the falling ice ninja.

Xander growled. "J.A.R.V.I.S!"

The sound of the wind blew past Zane's ears as he gained control of his fall by flipping his body around, flattening himself to help reduce his acceleration. More time for him to find a way to reach safety. If only he had his Shurikens of Ice, he could conjure his snowmobile like once before. But as he gazed around the environment for something to help him, he realized there was nothing. Maybe he could perform Spinjitzu and land safely. But his eyes caught the attention of red lights flashing on his bracelets and the sound of thrusters made him turn his head to see a streak of red metal. Soon felt his body being pushed, causing him to spin, and felt something wrapping around his limbs, body, and face as he stared at two small curved rectangular eye holes and darkness.

His shaky breath could be heard in the. . . metal shell that encased him. He tried to move his arms, but couldn't. Suddenly the shell hummed to life, showing Zane a holographic screen view of the outside. It lit up in his face, many icons being displayed on the screen; navigation, altitude, etc. . . But Zane screamed as he was close to the tower's plaza. The sound of thrusters roared to life below his feet and palms, and he felt his body suddenly pulling up and taking flight in the city.

 _What is this thing!?_ he wondered.

* * *

 **Ooh what is it!? This has been the moment I've been waiting for to come and happen. It's not a hero story with his hero persona. What does the title of the story give off? Find out next week to see what happens now to the ice ninja.**


	10. Flights and Fights Over Ninjago City

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. With last week, Zane was falling from a Mandarin attack and something new came to his rescue. What's going to happen now?**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Flights and Fights Over Ninjago City**

His breathing was quick and shaky, his processors unable to comprehend what was happening to him. One moment, he was falling after a Mandarin scheme. The next, something flies down to catch him and encases his body in metal. And finally, the view of the city appears in front of him in a hologram-like state, as if he was actually staring at the city without this. . . metal suit. He was even flying with help from the thrusters on his feet, hands, and back. All he could do was panic. What was this thing he was sealed in?

"Hello sir," J.A.R.V.I.S greeted in his ear, a small box appearing on the top right corner of his H.U.D. (Heads Up Display). Zane was too taken by surprise to try and talk back. "Sorry for the inconvenient introduction earlier, but I can assure you that you're safe in the MRK 6 suit. However, I have to get you far away from here, where it's safe. I already hacked into the Destiny's Bounty's mainframe to take flight and we'll meet with your friends at the rendezvous point. Hold on tight, this will be a bumpy ride."

MRK 6? Hacked into the Bounty's mainframe? Rendezvous point? Just what in Ninjago was happening!? "What is going on!?" he demanded, frightened. "What am I in? I can't move and yet I'm flying."

The screen in front of Zane brightened, revealing blueprint designs of a metallic suit. It seemed bulky; like a knight from fables, but it was form fitting to his lean frame. The mask even hid his facial features behind a smooth dome mask with curved eyes and thin lines near his lips. In the center of the chest aligned to where his Arc Reactor, or heart, was. This was the MRK 6?

"You're in what your father has called an 'Iron Man' suit," the A.I. stated, allowing the designs disappear. "A suit constructed of titanium alloys that are indestructible, has the ability to fly, fire its equipped weapons, and the ability to lift fifty times more weight than a normal human can. It's an invention your father designed and created to be used for security protocols, but they were never released to the public. He feared it would be stolen to be crafted into a weapon. It was one of the reasons why he feared something was coming for him. But I'll explain more later. We have hostiles in bound."

A screen appeared in front of the white ninja's face, showing what was happening behind him. He could see eight red triangle icons in the distance and another image appeared, showing him the threat. A hovering robotic unit was being flown by the four thrusters mounted on the sides of its slender metal body. Sentry guns mounted themselves on the bow of the unit; armed and ready to fire. Zane wondered if those were the security drones Kiwi had mentioned at Spark Industries. And they didn't seem like they were prepared to stun on intruders; more like armed to kill.

Zane started to panic. His brother was part of the Mandarin and wanted him dead. Why? He had nothing for the Mandarin to have. But with him now in an Iron Man suit, this meant a war was now happening, with him involved. Zane had to end it now, even if it would cost him his life. First, he had to get the drones away from the city to protect the citizens from causalities. "J.A.R.V.I.S. upload the Iron Man schematics into my hard-drives so I can learn to use this suit to my advantage," he ordered. "I need to make sure these drones don't harm civilians while targeting us."

"Sir, I don't think that would be wise at the moment," the A.I. objected, concerned. "My objective is to get you out of here safely and far from the Mandarin. You have to-"

"I don't care," the ice ninja barked. "I need you to do it now. The Mandarin is after me and many lives are on the line if I don't fight back. Do it now!"

A moment of silence came from the A.I, but soon the blonde haired teen heard him sigh. "Uploading Iron Man schematics now," J.A.R.V.I.S announced. Zane felt a cool rush through the back of his head. He inhaled shakily, the uploads surprising him, but he took calming breaths as he began to understand. How to fly, fight with the many weapons the suit was equipped with, almost everything that made this an Iron Man suit. He smirked, his eyes no longer glowing as he understood how to use the suit to his advantage. "Uploads complete. Engaging Mandarin drones. . . now!" J.A.R.V.I.S then released all control of the suit to the nindroid.

With two of the drones behind him, Zane smirked as a plan formed in his head. Reacting quickly, the ice ninja opened all the flaps on the back of the suit, thrusting his hands out in front of him as his body lurched back, flying behind the two drones. And with that, he held his right hand out as a whining sound formed in his hand, releasing the stored pulse energy at the first drone, destroying it. He then quickly turned his body as the second drone moved to fire its sentry guns, avoiding the gunfire. Zane held his left hand out, hearing the same whining sound and releasing another pulse of energy, destroying the second drone. With both drones destroyed, he brought his hands to his sides and leaned forward, taking flight again as more drones approached.

The Ninja of Ice was starting to enjoy the feel of the suit as he flew. It was almost like it was built for him, even though he'd just had the schematics downloaded into him, it somehow felt natural. Like he already knew how to use it, before he'd lost his memories after his father's passing. Did he know about this before? That couldn't be right, but still. . .

The sound of gunfire hammering into the metal suit brought Zane back to his predicament. A box materialized on the screen, showing the remaining six drones tailing him and firing at him. He panicked a bit, swaying his body to dodge the metal bullets, but he grew more concerned as he realized he was flying close to the streets where civilians were taking cover to. He had to get away from the ground if the drones were still attacking him.

To retaliate, he flipped his body, firing a pulse of energy from his right hand to his left flank and another one above him, destroying two of the six drones. He gasped as the remaining four tailing him fired homing missiles. "Flares!" he commanded to the side flaps. Small areas on his hips opened, firing miniscule red flares to blind the missiles, but the close range caused him to lose his balance in flight.

The ice ninja spun out of control in the air, but the flaps on his back activated and helped him regain his balance, soon taking flight again and realizing he was flying back over Downtown Ninjago City. He noticed the remaining drones tailing him. It was becoming difficult for him to lose them. How could he? "J.A.R.V.I.S, find any evasive maneuvers that can destroy the remaining drones and get us away from here," he commanded as he spotted the center of the Downtown district with a large fountain running down the long street with a large sphere of a sculpture to represent Ninjago that rotated on the end. _Is it possible?_ he wondered.

"Sir, I suggest you head for the fountain and follow my lead," J.A.R.V.I.S pointed out. "This will end the chase."

Zane smiled as the A.I. was thinking the same thing as him, quickly turning and diving down to skim along the water with the drones close behind him. On the screen, a line of rings appeared, making Zane realize he had to fly through them as a guide. Almost like a flight simulator game that had in the game room of the Bounty that no one enjoyed but him. It was perfect. He brought his hands closer to his sides, hearing the thrusters on his feet and back whine in acceleration and feeling the suit shake as his speed increased.

Water sprayed across the ice ninja as he followed through each ring with the remaining drones drawing closer behind, slowly losing altitude to enter through the sphere sculpture. Quickly, Zane stopped himself from hitting the edge of it and flew back up before hitting the top edge of the sphere, quickly flying through the top of the sculpture. All the drones that followed had failed to prevent themselves from hitting the land marks on the sphere, destroying them in the process. Zane held his hands out in case any of them had survived, but nothing came from the fiery smoke. There was nothing left chasing him and he sighed, bringing his hands down and taking flight to leave the city.

A lot swam through his head as he flew outside of the city limits and through the desert. First, his brother was a Mandarin follower and helping the Mandarin kill him. But why? He didn't know what they wanted from him, but from his old A.I. teacher said that it's deep within his databanks and the Mandarin wanted him dead because of it. Something didn't seem to fit into the puzzle. Were the other androids he'd met followers as well? And how could Xander know what he has stored in his databanks? Did their father only trust him with it? But whatever it was, Zane wasn't going to let the Mandarin have it. He'd stop them. Starting with meeting his family back at the Bounty.

The Ninja of Ice brought his hands closer to his hips to accelerate his speed until he heard a loud boom of breaking the sound barrier

* * *

 **How will the others react to have the Bounty driving on its own? What about them seeing a metal suit landing on the ship? There's no way they'll recognize him. But find next week on what happens with Zane in the Iron Man suit.**


	11. The Iron Man Suit

**Hey everyone, time for a new update. Last week with Zane in the Iron Man suit for the first time and fighting with it. But now let's see how the others will react with the metal suit nindroid.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Iron Man Suit**

Fingers raced across the keyboard of the large computer on the Destiny's Bounty. Hazel eyes grew wide as he struggled to figure out what was happening to the ship. It wasn't every day that the Bounty suddenly decided to take flight. Jay realized it had been hacked, a large message appearing on the screen. The lightning ninja groaned loudly, his heart racing. "What else can I do!?" he groaned as he continued trying to fight the virus within the software. "This isn't anything I've seen before. There has to be a way to fix this without ruining our ship's mainframe. But how!?"

"Have you tried resetting it to see if that'll clear the virus?" Kai suggested, annoyed by Jay's overexaggerated tone.

Jay lifted his head to the spiky haired burnet, giving him a playful smile and rolling his eyes. "Oh geez, why didn't I think of that?" he replied with a sarcastic tone before typing on the keyboard playfully. "Maybe that will erase the virus instead. Gee Kai, thanks." He glanced over his shoulder to see the fire ninja glaring at him with Cole laying a hand on his chest to restrain him from killing Jay. The lightning ninja snorted. "I tried that before and it didn't work, okay? It's not like a normal virus that can go away. I think it's a Mandarin virus hacking us, and I'm doing everything I can here!"

"What if we, like, break the monitor or mainframe of the ship to stop the Mandarin from hacking us?" Cole suggested, walking over to stand next to Jay. He opened the cabinets below to find the hard-drives. "Bingo." He raised a fist to pick a target, but was soon tackled by Jay. "Hey, I'm trying to help here!"

"By what!?" the auburn said. "Destroying the ship itself and possibly killing all of us?" He quickly scrambled off the black ninja and pulled him to his feet. "This computer is what's keeping us flying. I should know, I worked on it with my dad's help. And if you break it, we'll be heading straight for a crash landing. So, no breaking anything and we'll still be alive. Got it?" He saw Cole nod, anxious about what he might have done. "Good."

"So what can we do?" Laurie asked. "If this is a Mandarin virus, then how come we're still suspended over the Forest of Tranquility and not heading somewhere dangerous? If that's the case, the Mandarin would've killed us already, right?"

The Ninja stood around, feeling out Laurie's words. "She's right," Lucas agreed. "They tried to kill us before and we survived, but this doesn't make sense if it's the Mandarin. Maybe it's something else?"

"Like what?" Lloyd asked.

The sound of a thundering boom caused the Ninja to jump and become alert. Cole immediately went to the periscope, trying to see what had made the noise, but found nothing. What was that? he wondered, but immediately turned his head as something moved in the distance. It quickly flew past his eyes in a flash of red. "We're under attack!" he shouted, watching his team become alert. The Ninja watched the red projectile fly around the ship before they all grabbed their weapons, except for Lloyd and Nya, and rushed out onto the deck. It wasn't a missile or anything, but a robot.

The robot hovered above them and slowly lowered itself with the thrusters on its back, landing on the deck with a clank. They all stood rigid, marveling at the unknown robot. Metallic red shone on the chest, forearms, shins, and head of the robot while gold ran along the biceps, thighs, and face of the suit. The translucent blue rectangular curved eyes looked menacing. And there was even a circular translucent device resting in the center of his chest; like Zane's. They didn't know what to do now. Should they attack it or stand down? The blue ninja glanced over his shoulder, making eye contact with Nya. "Uh. . .Nya," he stammered. "Is this a new project you've been working on that got free?"

"Uh. . . no. . . that's nothing I've made," the raven haired girl replied.

"Whatever it is," said Kai while swinging his katana and charging, "let's destroy it! It's probably a Mandarin weapon!"

The robot finally moved, shaking its head and raising its hands defensively. "Wait Kai, stop!" it said. The fire ninja held back his weapon. That voice. It sounded familiar, way too familiar. Kai felt the blood drain from his face. The robot's face lifted from the head to reveal a familiar face, causing everyone to gasp. "It's me," the ice ninja said.

"Zane!?" the Ninja exclaimed.

A smile played on the Ninja of Ice's face as he watched them slowly relax. Kai had been too close to fighting his own brother. Then again, Zane should've said something as soon as he'd landed. "I'm sorry to startle you in this suit," he said, looking down at himself, "but I'm still trying to understand it since I had to rush the download of the schematics."

"Zane, what exactly is that?" the wind ninja asked, holding her little brother close to keep him back in case anything happened. "Is it safe?"

"I can assure you that it is safe, Laurie," the white ninja replied. "I have full control of the suit and everything is on lockdown." He looked at himself, trying to get out of the suit, but failing. "But, um. . . I don't know how to get out of this thing."

"Allow me, sir," a computerized voice said, causing the Ninja to jump. A hissing sound filled the air and everyone watched the suit move its plated armor away from Zane's chest and limbs, revealing his body under the bulky suit and allowing Zane to step out. A sigh of relief came from the blonde nindroid as he stretched and watched the suit morph back to its original. "MRK 6 is ready for your use, sir."

"Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S," Zane said, turning back to see his friends looking confused and startled. He then realized what they were thinking. "Oh, uh. . . everyone, what you are seeing is an invention of my father's, called an Iron Man suit. It saved me from a Mandarin attack and the one I've talked to is apparently my old teacher from back home: J.A.R.V.I.S. Just A Rather Very Intelligent System."

A snicker came from the blue ninja, all eyes trained on him. "Ha! That's a good one, Zane!" Jay laughed. "I wouldn't have thought of that."

"I am pleased to see that my acronym name is somewhat amusing to someone other than my previous system owner, Zane's father," the A.I. said. "Thank you, Jay Walker." The lightning ninja stopped, his jaw dropping in shock. How did it know his name? "And, yes, I know your names. I've learned everything about all of you from Zane. Oh, and allow me to fix your ship. I forgot to return the control back over to you." The A.I. felt its programming enter the ship's hard-drive, hacking into the system and stopping the blaring alarm. The error on the screen vanished, returning control to the Ninja. "There we are."

"Wait! You're the one that hacked us?!" Cole snapped. "We thought it was a Mandarin virus!"

"I apologize for frightening you, but I had to hack your ship in order to protect you and get you all away from Ninjago City and the Mandarin," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated. "And, Zane has something he needs to tell you."

Zane sighed, looking away and feeling his heart ache with sadness. He glanced up to see his friends looking concerned. He had to tell them eventually. "The thing is that. . . my brother is working for the Mandarin and. . . wants me dead."

The Ninja stood silent, brows raised. Had they heard that correctly? Zane's brother was a Mandarin follower? First he'd discovered he had a long lost brother, then the next the finds out is that Xander is working with the Mandarin. Something just didn't make sense. "Uh. . . are you sure, Zane?" Lucas asked. "Why do you think Xander's a Mandarin follower?"

"I can't explain what I don't know," the ice ninja sighed, taking a seat on a barrel. "Xander and I were talking, he left to take a call, I meet my old teacher, and I escaped from a bomb. I was falling from Spark Tower and was saved by this suit." He gestured to the suit of armor and sighed. "The Mandarin wants me dead because I have something in my databanks that is valuable and Xander is helping them. I don't know what I'm going to do if I'm endangering all of you."

The Ninja watched their brother droop his head, his solemn face a mask of pity. First they met his brother, but now he wants Zane dead to help the Mandarin. A lot had been happening to the blonde teen and they hated seeing him like this. Cole looked at his teammates, seeing them nod. It was his job as leader to comfort and support his elemental ninja brothers. He walked over and took a seat next to Zane, softly patting his back. "We all know you're going through a rough moment. It's got to be hard to accept any of this," he said. "But no matter what happens, we'll be by your side, we'll stop the Mandarin from getting you, and we'll free your brother from their control. You're our brother, Zane. We're here for you."

Zane lifted his head and stared into the raven haired teen's amber eyes, seeing them reflect hope and safety. He smiled. Zane was grateful to have family beside him, protecting him and fighting the Mandarin to help get Xander back. His dark blue eyes glanced away from the earth ninja and settled on his family. They were all giving him soft, warm smiles. "Thank you," he said quietly. "All of you. This means a lot to me."

"It's no problem, Zane," the blue ninja chirped. "We're brothers after all and we're here for one another. We'll be with you 'til the Mandarin is finished." He watched Zane nod, but his hazel eyes caught a glimpse of the suit. Jay walked over to it. He scanned it quickly, his eyes darting everywhere, before he lightly tapped on it, hearing it echo. "Hmm. . . titanium alloy with the ability to fly," he mumbled to himself before turning to Zane. "Hey, Zane, what else can this thing do?"

"I'd be happy to answer that," J.A.R.V.I.S replied, causing the suit to fall to pieces and litter the deck.

The lightning ninja jumped back, startled. Kai glared at him, accusing him of breaking it, to which Jay raised his hands defensively and stepped back. "I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed, pointing to the pieces. "He did it! I had nothing to do with it!"

"It's all right, Jay," Zane said, giving him a soft smile and a gentle pat on his shoulder. "I'm not mad at you, but J.A.R.V.I.S, why did you do that? I don't remember any of this from the schematics you downloaded into my processor."

"Well, I haven't entirely synced everything about the suit into your processors. Only the basics to help you get out of the city," the A.I. admitted. "But I will finish the syncing after you try this feature out. Simply hold out your hand. Oh, and I would remove the gi if I were you, for mobility reasons. But, please, brace yourself for this, sir."

Puzzled, the Ninja of Ice looked at the pile of parts with a raised brow, but undid the belt and gi, standing only in his white undershirt. He handed them to Jay, taking a step back and standing in the center of the deck. He drew in a deep breath, shakily holding out his left arm at the pile, wondering what he was going to do. . . but nothing happened. He sighed after holding his hand out for about a minute. This seemed silly, like putting up posters for the Fang Blades before he realized he was a nindroid, but he knew something was suppose to happen. He tried again, holding out his left arm and concentrating.

This time, the parts lit up and hummed.

Suddenly, a part from the pile lifted itself with small thrusters and darted over to the white ninja, attaching itself to his left hand and mechanically covering his forearm. Zane stood, amazed at what the suit could do, and smiled as he felt something attack to his left shoulder, covering his entire arm. It was amazing! He smirked, holding out his other arm and concentrating harder, causing all the pieces to hover. The pieces flew around the ice ninja, starting to attach themselves to his legs, chest, waist, neck, and head. All that remained was the face piece, glaring straight at Zane. "Come on, I'm not afraid of you," he taunted, jumping into a side flip as the piece attached itself to his face. Zane landed in a crouch. "Oh yeah! I can get used to this," he said to himself, feeling the familiar cool sensation as J.A.R.V.I.S downloaded the rest of the suit's schematic into his processor.

"Zane! That was so cool!" Jay exclaimed excitedly. "Where can I get one!?"

"Indeed it is an impressive use of weaponry, Zane," an elderly voice chimed in. All eyes turned to see Sensei Wu walking down the stairs from the bridge, joining them on the deck. "But remember not to let technology consume you. You must follow the arts of your training. That includes all of you." He took a sip of his tea, watching as his students nodded in understanding. "Excellent."

"As you wish, Sensei," Zane said, concentrating on opening the suit. He climbed out, grabbing his gi and belt from Jay. "But for now, it may be the only weapon we have that will help us stop the Mandarin. You must trust me on this."

"As you wish," the mentor said. "But now that we have settled this, we have something new to handle. We have a message in the bridge and. . . I'm having trouble with it."

A message in the bridge? From who? If it was Xander, it could be a way to track Zane for the Mandarin. But if not, who was it? Curious, Zane nodded to his teacher, racing up the stairs with everyone in tow. The nindroid crossed the room, moving to type on the keyboard and answer the call. Who he saw appear on the monitor made him gasp. "Iris?" he gasped quietly.

The raven haired girl. "Zane, oh my gosh, I'm glad you're okay!" she said quickly. "After what I heard on the news, I was worried about you and Xander. I was hoping you two were safe."

"I'm fine," the white ninja replied, smiling softly to see the secretary again; even falling in love with her. "Really, I am. I had help from someone to catch me and help me escape. But how did you get this connection with the Bounty? It's impossible to get through our security software."

"J.A.R.V.I.S. gave me a way to communicate with you and gave me some advice," the secretary replied. Zane had a brow raised on how the A.I. was with Iris when being with them, but he peeked out the front window and watched the suit on the deck give a solid nod. Zane shrugged. "Anyway, I now know that I can't trust Xander and I want to help you."

"How?"

"Meet me at this location with these coordinates." She typed on her keyboard, a map of Ninjago appear on the monitor with a red blinking dot by the ocean. "It's a location that Xander would never go to and I know you'll be safe. You have to trust me."

Zane stared at the map and pondered. What if it was a trap? But it couldn't be if she was willingly to help him. He knew he could trust her. "We'll do it then," he replied. "You stay safe too."

"I will," she replied before ending the call.

* * *

The girl sighed, feeling her eyes begin to sting and water. As she wiped away the tears, she hoped she'd done the right thing. But deep down, she knew she'd regret it. Who was she kidding? She'd done the wrong thing, especially to Zane.

"You've done an excellent job, Iris," a quiet, calm voice said to her from the shadows. "Zane shall soon be in my grasp, and then this land will be mine, all thanks to you."

"And my sister?" she begged, scared. "I'll have her back? Safe and sound?"

"In due time, you'll have your precious Korinna back. Safe in your arms," the voice replied, walking over to Iris and rubbing her shoulders softly. Iris flinched. "You're doing a good deed for the Mandarin. And I thank you for that."

* * *

 **Duh-duh-duhh... He-he, Zane so gullible to listen to the girl when he doesn't realize she's in on this. But for what cost, her sister of course. Let's see how this will go for the ice ninja and team.**


	12. Julien Estates

**Hey everyone, happy Friday, also hope you had a safe Halloween. I had a fun one when I dressed up as Cole from the Possessed season, not ghost though, at work for fun. But it's also time for a new update. So enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Julien Estates**

The sound of thrusters growing louder caused tired eyes to suddenly open. An exhausted teen slowly sat up after having fell asleep on a tatami mat during meditation. It wasn't every day that you become a target for the Mandarin, find out that your brother wants you dead, and have a metal suit save your life. All that action can really tire a person out; even a nindroid like Zane. Yawning, he slowly woke himself up, glancing around his surroundings before he noticed he was still aboard the Destiny's Bounty. The ship pitched, throwing Zane forward slightly as the ship hit land. He assumed they'd reached the destination Iris had sent to them. Tiredly, the white ninja pulled himself to his feet and walked to the bridge, glancing over the railing to get a better look at their location.

The smell of sea salt wafted into the olfactory sensors in his nose. Was this right? In front of him stood a two-story cliff side home that fanned over the ocean below from its supported structures. Curiosity got the better of him and he double checked the location coordinates on the panel in his arm against the coordinates Iris had sent. Surprisingly, the coordinates matched up. This was the location Iris wanted them to meet her at. Although, it did seem odd that the safe location was actually someone's home. Whose was it?

"Uh. . . Is this right?" Jay wondered as he and the others stood next to Zane, puzzled.

"It is, Jay," Zane replied. "It most certainly is." He hopped over the railing, landing softly on the weathered asphalt below, shurikens in hand. The others followed his lead as they slowly made their way up to the double front doors of the home. Sure, this was just a house, but it didn't mean it couldn't be a trap. Zane wanted to take as many precautions as possible. "Alright, we do this quietly and cautiously. Got it?" He glanced over his shoulders to see his brothers nod, their weapons ready. "Good." He drew in a deep breath, cautiously opening the doors and entering.

His dark blue eyes scanned the large foyer of the home. It was too quiet. Where was Iris? The Ninja quietly walked into the den of the home, seeing dust covers on the furniture around a winding staircase. It all seemed pretty safe, until something creaked from the next room over. Instinctually, the Ninja held their weapons tightly and advanced through the archway of the kitchen. The creaking sound came again and the ice ninja drew in a deep breath, quickly jumping towards the unknown noise and managing to spook the secretary, Iris, in the process. "Iris?" he inquired, relaxing. "You're alright."

The girl stood startled, but still managed to wrap her arms around Zane. The ice ninja stood in shock at Iris' affection, glancing over his shoulder to see his brothers shrug while Nya looked on with a small smirk on her lips. Eventually, Zane returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Iris. Is this what Jay called "love"? "Zane, I'm so glad it's you," the secretary said quietly as she clung onto him. "I thought you were those Mandarin followers at first and hid in here." She could feel the guilt swelling in her heart for helping the terrorists of Ninjago, but she managed to push it away. "I'm glad it's you and not them."

"I'm sorry to startle you," the blonde teen said, slowly calming her down. "But we were taking precautions in case this was a trap set by my brother." Unknown to him, Iris felt the guilt returning yet again, her eyes stinging with tears that she refused to shed. "But I'm glad it's only you. Where are we anyway? Is this your home?"

The raven haired girl bit her lip, trying to think of a way to explain the house, but nothing immediately came to her. "Actually, no," she replied, walking herself into the den and looking at a console in wall. She messed with the touch screen for a second. "Technically. . . this is your inherited home." She swiped her finger on the screen and the darkened windows dimmed, becoming more transparent and allowing light into the home. They could all see a sunny view of the ocean. Iris smiled at Zane. "Welcome to Julien Estates."

Zane gasped quietly to himself, hearing the others follow suit. He felt himself move to the large windows that overlooked the ocean and stared deeply at the marvelous view. The afternoon sun glistened brightly along the waves that traveled towards the cliffs, crashing against the rocky wall. Zane's heart hummed and dimmed lightly under his gi. His inherited home? Like, where his father had lived before he moved to the Birchwood Forest to create him and Xander? How would Iris have known about this place? "I'm sorry, but you said my inherited home?" he inquired. "How? Why did you know it was here?"

"Xander once took me and Korinna here for a day and it was lovely," Iris replied, moving to stand next to Zane. "But for some reason, he doesn't like it here and prefers the city. That's why Xander won't be able to find you. He wouldn't think you'd hide here if you didn't know this place existed." She drew in a deep breath and sighed. "This home, as Xander said, was once your father's home before he disappeared. When I was little, he was once a rich and powerful man that ran Spark Industries. With him gone, this is your home to live in and have, along with Spark Tower and Industries."

Amazed, but also puzzled, Zane struggled to find his voice among the never ending surprising news. First, he'd been the lost heir of Spark Industries. Then he'd found out about his brother. Now he was inheriting an estate? He couldn't believe it. Zane glanced over his shoulder, trying to garner support from his friends, but they were nowhere to be found. He figured they'd probably left to explore the rest of the estate. "I-I don't know what to say," he breathed quietly. "A lot has been happening to me and. . . I can't comprehend this. Any of it."

"I know the feeling," Iris muttered, causing the nindroid to look at her, puzzled.

"Zane, you have to check this place out!" Jay called out, racing up the stairs from the lower levels with a large smile tugging on his face. His hazel eyes glistened brightly with joy, like a child on his birthday. Something must've excited him. "You've got to see the garage below! It has really cool and exotic cars down there along with a large workshop! I feel like I've died and gone to a better place!"

"There's even a gym here that's larger than the Bounty's," Cole added as he entered the den with the others behind him. He too had a smile adorning his face. This made Zane halt his thinking. "Once we end the Mandarin, maybe we can use this as our new headquarters. This place has almost everything we need."

The Ninja of Ice still couldn't find his voice. Using his father's old estate as a new headquarters? It all seemed. . . too much for them. Like when they once rented the expensive apartment and had to take on extra jobs that prevented them from training Lloyd. So, all the white ninja could think about was how unnecessary it was at the moment. "Let's worry about that later," he stated, making everyone's smiles disappear. "Right now, let's focus on remaining hidden from the Mandarin and staying safe. We need to formulate a plan on how to stop them."

* * *

The autumn sun was slowly dimming, bathing the world in the warm glow of sunset. Dark blue eyes gazed at the orange sea and sky, feeling the serenity overwhelm him. Zane drew in a deep breath as he sat on the couch, really enjoying the view. He was lucky enough to be able to open one of the large windows and let in the salty air and cool breeze. It was peaceful, enjoying the atmosphere in his father's estate, but he still would have preferred living out amongst the sea or in one of the frozen ponds he use to meditate in. But Zane could see why his father would have lived here before fleeing to the Birchwood Forest. It amazed him, how nature could be beautiful in so many ways.

Time had passed for the ice ninja as he was, as Cole called it, laying low from the Mandarin. But it didn't seem like they were laying low if his friends were roaming around the house and using the many facilities the estate had to offer. Using the gym or workshop in the lower level; maybe even sitting inside those exotic cars Jay had talked about. They couldn't do anything to attract the Mandarin's attention. But if they were laying low, shouldn't they actually be laying down? That seemed much more logical, right?

The floors creaked near the white ninja and he turned his head to see Iris pacing nervously around the foyer before disappearing into the kitchen. His brows were raised because of her strange attitude, and then Zane started wondering about something else. Her little sister, Korinna. Where was the little girl? It was getting late in the afternoon, close to nightfall. Zane was suspicious now.

Curiously, the blonde teen pulled himself to his feet and quietly entered the kitchen. The raven haired girl was gazing at a locket around her neck. Zane couldn't see the picture, but he did notice the tears that started forming in her blue eyes. "Iris?" he asked, knocking on the archway softly. This caused the girl to snap her head towards Zane, becoming more nervous and hiding the locket in her blouse. "Is everything all right?"

No, everything wasn't all right. The guilt was consuming her, making her more and more nervous with each passing second. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to tell Zane the truth. "Yeah. . ." she lied, "everything is all right. I'm good."

Zane was even more suspicious now. He could tell something was wrong by the twitch of her nose. "Where's your sister, Korinna?" he asked, watching Iris tense up. "Shouldn't you be with her when it's getting late like this?"

"She's doing an after school program. . ." She could feel a lump rising in her throat. "She helps out at daycares for first and second graders at the community center and is getting a ride home later from a friend."

"Really? When it's almost six?" he observed. He could see the tension building up more. "Iris, you know you can trust me. I want to help you." He walked over to her, gently grabbing both of her hands and holding them softly. It amazed him how he was able to express his feelings without Jay's help. "If you're worried about Korinna, where are your parents? Can't they watch over her?"

Her eyes began to sting with fresh tears as she gazed into Zane's innocent face. The guilt was hurting her every moment. A stray tear slipped down her face. Korinna would never forgive her for doing this to the ice ninja. She sighed. "My parents have been gone since I was little, when Korinna was just a baby. We're orphans." Zane was stunned; he felt dumb of not having thought of it before. He had once been an orphan, until his memories had come back to him. "I've mostly been there for my sister as we grew up together in an orphanage. I promised her I'd keep her safe."

"And this. . . Marky fellow Korinna once mentioned?" Zane inquired. "What about him?"

"He's our cousin actually," she replied, anger swelling. "He too was an orphan and has been with us since we ran away from the orphanage. We'd found out that we were going to be adopted by separate families and I just couldn't live without my sister. For years we've lived on the streets, protecting each other, until the worst happened. Mark was eighteen at the time, caught stealing from Jamanakai Village to feed Korinna. He's in jail. . ." This made tears cascade down her face, causing Zane to take pity on her.

He suddenly remembered something. He'd been the one who'd stopped Mark after he'd stolen the food. "I'm sorry, Iris," he said, feeling guilty. "I'm the one responsible for it. I never knew what his intentions were other than to feed your sister and I. . . never meant to hurt you. But I'm a ninja and I was only doing what was right. I'm sorry."

Iris lifted her head, giving the ice ninja an angry glare through her tears. She couldn't believe he was the one who'd put her cousin away. "I-I don't know what to say..." she cried in a whisper. "I don't think I'll ever forgive you for that." Zane nodded in understanding. She drew in a deep breath, sighing deeply and wrapping her arms around Zane softly. "I don't know what to do now, and I'm scared for Korrina. She's all I have left and I'm so scared. . ." Zane was right. Something was up with her.

Words of comfort tried to form on Zane's lips, but all he could do was stutter. He knew she was hiding something from him, from all of them. They shouldn't have come. It was all a trap. But, he couldn't be mad at Iris; she was obviously being blackmailed with the safety of her sister. "Iris, look at me," he told her gently, taking her hands again. The secretary complied, looking up at him with bloodshot eyes. "I will get her back for you. You have my word. The Mandarin has gone far enough, and I will stop him. I'll rescue her. I promise."

All the girl could do was give Zane a wavering smile, heart rate accelerating. "Zane, I can't thank you enough," she said. "I-" She stopped as the sound of rotors suddenly grew from the distance.

Zane turned his head to the buzzing, quickly rushing out of the kitchen and back into the den. Through the window, he could see faint dots on the horizon. Quickly enhancing his vision, he was able to make out three helicopters flying in formation, heading for the estate. His muscles tensed as he noticed the mark of the Mandarin on the sides of the aircrafts: his father's symbol being broken in half. The white ninja heard rushing footsteps from behind and turned to see his friends gathering in the den, their faces a mixture of worry and shock.

"How did they find us!?" Jay exclaimed. "I thought this was a safe place!"

"How should I know!?" Kai barked. "I thought we were gonna be safe until we came up with a better plan to stop the Mandarin." He paused for a moment, realization slowly dawning on him. "Unless. . . someone knew told them where we were." He turned towards Iris, glaring at her with blazing brown eyes. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted you! You're working for them! You're trying to kill Zane, aren't you?"

The tears in Iris' eyes finally broke free, cascading down her cheeks. The Ninja were surprised by her reaction, watching as she gripped Zane tightly for support. "I'm sorry, but I had to!" she cried. "They have my sister and they said they'd hurt her if I didn't do what they wanted. Korinna is all I have left in this world. I didn't have a choice! I'm sorry, but I just had to. . ."

Zane glared at the fire ninja for shouting at Iris. He'd already forgiven the girl. She was just being forced. "And I promised you Iris, we will save her and we will stop them" he said to her before turning towards his family. "We need to go now and get as far away from them as possible. I'll use the Iron Man suit to slow them down and buy you some time." He watched them stand in surprise. Maybe it wasn't the best plan, but they were running out of time. Looking back out the window, Zane could see the side panels of the helicopters, armed with heavy artillery. His eyes widened. "Go, now!"

* * *

 **Tension now builds up for the ice ninja and friends, but what will the outcomes be for the Ninja? We shall see in the next chapter.**


	13. The Mandarin Strikes

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. I got nothing to say since I left you all in a cliffhanger so I'm not gonna blab on with anything and I'll let you get to the action.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: The Mandarin Strikes**

Tension and adrenaline were building up inside the ice ninja. How he even knew what an adrenaline rush felt like was beyond him, but that was besides the point. What mattered now was that the Mandarin had found them at his father's old estate, because of Iris. Of course, Zane couldn't blame her for helping. It was all for the sake of her sister's safety, which he could relate to. He needed to protect his own family before they ended up getting severely hurt, even if they objected.

The Ninja of Ice held his hand out towards the doors, concentrating hard to try and get the Iron Man suit to come to him. He hoped it would come quick, but suddenly a flame sparked from one of the helicopters, a trail of smoke following it. Zane gasped. They'd just fired a missile. "Brace yourselves!" he shouted.

An explosion rang through his ears as glass showered down around him. The missile had struck one of the house's supports. A powerful force from the projectile launched everyone off of their feet. Zane was becoming increasingly worried about both Iris and his family. But, finally, the different parts of the suit broke through the doors just as Iris's body prepared to collide with one of the walls. Zane gasped. If the secretary hit the wall, she could possibly get herself killed. Thinking quickly, Zane swayed his hand towards her. In response, the suit quickly changed its course, attaching itself around Iris before she struck the wall. Sighing in relief, Zane hit the ground with everyone else. That had been a close call, but it looked like everyone had made it out of the blast unscathed.

Her labored breathing echoed around her inside the metal shell that had attached itself to her. _What is this thing,_ she wondered, struggling to find her voice as she sat up against a dent in the stone wall. A dent she most likely created. _Zane must've done this to protect to me,_ she thought as she watched the Ninja slowly pull themselves to their feet. A small gasp escaped her lips as she noticed the ceiling above Zane starting to give way. She could feel the suit moving her quickly towards Zane, standing over him. Her body shook as the ceiling collapsed on her, but she felt completely fine. All around Zane was covered in a cloud of dust. She felt the mask over her face lift away, letting her see Zane eye to eye. "I got you," she breathed, relieved that he was safe.

"More like I got you," Zane stated softly, smiling. As quickly as the gesture appeared, it disappeared as he got to his feet. "Everyone, let's get out of here, now! Before they fire again!"

The Ninja looked at him, nodding in agreement. They were no match for fire power like that. The only way to survive was to find a way to distract them, get as far away as possible, and hopefully lose them. Without thinking twice, the Ninja quickly turned to run as another missile shot towards the roof, rocking them with the impact. Regardless, they all managed to get themselves out of the estate quickly. Only Zane stayed inside, glancing over his shoulder to watch the helicopters. His family was going to get hurt if he followed them out. If he stayed and used his father's old Iron Man suit, he could buy them time to get on the Bounty and fly away from danger. He held his hand behind his back, once again trying to concentrate on calling the suit.

Iris had been the last person out, following the Ninja closely, but she stopped and glanced around, looking for Zane. He was nowhere to be seen. She finally realized where he was, as the suit around her separated and flew back into the estate. "No, Zane!" she cried out, starting to run back towards the estate, but the foyer collapsed in on itself, creating a cloud of dust. Iris gasped. The Mandarin was still trying to destroy the building, and the ice ninja was trapped inside.

The suit parts quickly flew through the falling debris, attaching themselves to Zane. His artificial heart started humming as the suit powered up. He scanned the sky for the three helicopters that were still firing at the house, steadily trying to keep his balance as the ground around him shook violently. This was going to be difficult. "Sir, we're having issues with the thrusters at the moment," J.A.R.V.I.S stated, pulling up a diagram of the suit in Zane's H.U.D. The thrusters on his back pulsed red.

Scoffing, the nindroid tried to compose himself. This made things even more difficult, but he could still try and improvise a distraction so his family could get to safety. First, he needed to destroy the helicopters. The Mandarin wasn't going to stop him that easily. There's always a way; now or never. "Try to get them working," Zane commanded, feeling the whole house shake again. "We need to buy my friends some time and create an escape route for ourselves. Are the pulse convertors and wrist rockets operational?!"

"Not at the moment," the A.I replied. "Power is still charging and we're running on minimal energy at the moment."

"I have to find a way to buy us all some time."

The attack convoy continued launching their missiles at the house, causing Zane to stumble. Now the sentry guns were targeting him, but the bullets bounced off the suit's titanium metal, leaving only small dents. The floor beneath Zane's feet gave way, making him fall onto his back as he slowly slid toward the ocean. He struggled to drag himself to leveled ground, but his eyes caught sight of the piano in the den sliding along the tilted floor. He had an idea. Quickly, Zane rolled underneath the piano and held out his right hand, hearing the hum of his pulsars warm up before launching the heavy instrument upward.

The pilot in the right helicopter saw the oncoming instrument and tried to pull back on the control console, but he was too late. The piano broke into the aircraft and it all disappeared in instant combustion. Zane smirked as the destroyed helicopter fell into the ocean, but he soon realized that he was about to join it. He quickly grabbed the edge of a steel beam, dangling over the ocean. His breathing quickened as panic set in. What was he going to do now? Zane tried to pull himself up, but the remaining helicopters were firing their guns again, trying to make him lose his grip. The sound of the bullets rang in his ears as they bounced off the suit. _What can I do now?!_ he wondered, until an idea hit him.

With one hand still gipping the beam, Zane flipped open a hatch in his left arm, raising it to try and pick out the small rocket that lay within. He tossed it between the remaining helicopters, watching as it fired another pulse of energy, destroying both aircrafts. They both spun haphazardly into the estate, erupting into flames and causing the estate to quiver.

Panic was all Zane felt as he watched the house weaken as he hung over the sea. The exotic cars Jay had been so excited about were falling into the water with some of the home's furniture. Large pieces of drywall and support beams broke all around him, giving way to larger sections of the home falling into the water below. The nindroid gasped as he felt the beam he'd been holding on to start to buckle. But it soon gave way, causing Zane to start falling with the den following him closely. He tried to activate his thrusters, but his body crashed through the surface of the ocean, debris dragging him to the bottom of the sea.

* * *

"Zane!" everyone cried out as the estate finally crumbled to the ground.

Panic filled all of them as they thought about their fallen brother. They'd watched Zane destroy the attack convoy, but now the entire cliffside home was destroyed. They hadn't seen Zane come out. Had he fallen into the sea? Or had he flown away and made a quick escape? Did they have to start conducting a search and rescue party to uncover his body if he'd been trapped in the sea? No matter what, they couldn't leave a brother behind. They had to find him.

But before they could take a step closer to the ruined home, the sound of racing vehicles roared behind them. They all turned to see four jeeps racing up the winding driveway, stopping in a blockade. The Ninja grew tense as they recognized the Mandarin symbol on the doors. As they opened, men and women climbed out with weapons ready and aimed towards the Ninja; mainly stun batons. The Ninja and Iris froze as they watched Zane's brother walk right up to them, smirking. The guys narrowed their eyes, stepping in front of the girls and Lloyd, ready to protect them.

Xander chuckled. "Well, well, well. . ." he said, taking off a pair of sunglasses. "What do we have here? The Ninja? Fire, earth, lightning, water, wind, and the one destined to control all of the elemental powers. But what about my brother, Zane? He is ice after all. I've been looking for him."

"You lied to him and tried to kill him!" Jay chastised. "Seriously, what kind of brother works for the enemy?! You're worse than Lucas, when he was helping Garmadon! Besides, you can't kill Zane that easily. We've all been trained in the art of Spinjitzu. Nothing can stop us."

"Oh, I think I can change your mind," Xander mused, removing his sweatshirt. He stood before them in a form fitting tee, breathing in deeply and concentrating. He felt his body slowly warm up, smirking as he glowed with a warm, red aura. The Ninja started to panic. They couldn't tell if his body was going into a thermal meltdown or not, but it looked like Xander had complete control over it. The android chuckled, hearing his comrades laugh along as they too started to glow the same red color. The Ninja took a step back, worried. "Like I said," Xander continued, "I can change your mind. I rest my ca-" He felt something break against the side of his head and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

The Ninja blinked, seeing the broken plate that'd been thrown at him. They turned towards the Bounty, watching Sensei Wu jump down from the bridge and land in front of them. The elder gazed at Xander's unconscious form and tsked with his tongue. "Quite a boastful fellow, isn't he?" he asked quietly. "There is no honor in him trying to kill his brother. My brother had tried the same thing in the past, but at least he still managed to uphold some honor." He turned towards the Mandarin soldiers and glared at them. "And what of you? Do you have honor in yourselves? Or do I have to give you all a lesson?" He took a stance, gripping his staff tightly.

The six Mandarin soldiers growled at the sensei, throwing their stun batons down before charging towards him. Sensei Wu gasped at their speed, quicker than any human being, but with his countless years of training, he felt he had good odds against them. "If this is the cause, then this shall be the effect," he said, reaching into his kimono and pulling out two sets of keys. He pressed two buttons on them, dropping them to the asphalt and charging.

The elder swung his staff toward the first soldier, but it was quickly caught. The smell of burning wood filled his nose and he watched as his staff burned and broke. Sensei Wu was taken aback to what the Mandarin soldiers were capable of. They were like bearers of fire, but much differently than Kai. And luckily for him, it wasn't the staff his father had given him to protect. The female soldier in front of Sensei Wu gave a deep chuckle, but he quickly thrust his heel towards her chest and pushed her across the driveway. Soon, the remaining enemies charged toward him.

The remaining male ninja joined in on the fight with their mentor, trying to avoid getting burnt or sliced from the ongoing attacks. But everyone stopped as the roaring of more vehicles sounded. The Ultra Sonic Raider and Rain barged through the jeeps, firing artillery cannons and pushing the soldiers back. "Students, get out of here and protect yourselves!" Sensei Wu ordered. "I'll hold them off! Get yourselves somewhere safe. Do it now!"

The Ninja froze. Was Sensei Wu serious? This plan was ludicrous. They wouldn't leave him. "I'm not leaving you here alone, Dad!" Lucas objected, rushing towards him. "You lost me once, I don't wanna lose you too. We all leave together! No one gets left behind!"

A smirk grew on the elder's face. "I'll be fine, son," he said. "Just get your cousins, Nya, and Iris out of here and somewhere safe. Now go!" Sensei Wu quickly kicked his foot out, catching one of the stun batons and activating it. He swung it at one of the male soldiers, hearing him gasp. "Go, now! Get somewhere safe and find Zane. He's still alive, I know it."

The Ninja wanted to help, but they couldn't argue with their teacher. The four male ninja quickly fought their way to the two vehicles, but the girls and Lloyd struggled to move. They were pinned up against the haul of the Bounty by three of the soldiers. Angered, Lucas quickly held out his hands, firing pressurized water from his palms to push the soldiers away. "Lloyd, girls, come on!" he shouted, gesturing for them to move. Lloyd, fearful, rushed into the Rain as quickly as he could. "Girls, now!"

The three girls hesitated for a moment before they found a clear path. They raced towards the vehicles, until strong hands gripped their arms, throwing them to the ground. Laurie grit her teeth and glanced over her shoulder, eyes widening in fear as a soldier stood over her, his palm a fiery red. She swallowed hard, quickly holding her hands out and conjuring the winds to push the soldier back to the Bounty before trying to help take out the soldiers holding Nya and Iris. Suddenly, there was a blunt force against the back of her head, and she fell to her knees, completely dazed. "No! Laurie!" she heard Kai cry. "Nya!"

Worried now, Sensei Wu stood defensively alone while his niece and the other girls were trapped. The only ones who could stop the Mandarin now were his students, son, and nephew. He had no other choice. "Run," he said. "Run now and don't come back! Only you can stop the Mandarin. Go, find Zane! I'll protect the girls as best I can."

"We're not leaving you and the girls at their mercy," Cole objected. "Ninja never run away!"

The elder grew impatient to his students' stubbornness. They weren't doing as he instructed. He glanced down at the keys he'd tossed aside. "Well, you don't have a say in it now," he said, taking the stun baton in his hand and shattering the tiny keypads. The vehicles whined to life.

The five male ninja abruptly stopped, hearing the vehicle's engines hum and watching as the hatches closed over them. They slowly realized they were in lockdown and they desperately tried to open their hatches to get out and help, but not even Cole's strength was enough to break the glass. "No!" they all cried out as the vehicles switched to autopilot mode and drove away from the estate.

Sensei Wu smiled softly as he heard the disappointed growls of the enemy. They wouldn't be able to pursue his students now that their jeeps were ruined. He had faith in them, knew they'd find a way to stop the evil roaming Ninjago, and Zane. Now, he had a different focus: to protect those that couldn't leave with the others. Surrounded, Sensei Wu tossed his stun baton aside and knelt down, closing his eyes as he began to meditate.

The Ninja would return, he just knew it.

* * *

 **Suspense, suspense, suspense! I just love it when I make suspenseful chapters in the end. And now you have to wonder, is Zane still alive? What about Sensei Wu and the girls? Where will the guys go now with them being driven away against their will? Find out next week.**


	14. On the Run

**Hey everyone, happy Friday, time for a new update. Got nothing much to say as usual but let's see on what happened to Zane after the last chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: On the Run**

Being trapped and panicking were the only things Zane could do. Through the holographic screen of his H.U.D, he could see bits of debris falling into the ocean from what used to be his father's estate, slowly sinking down to join the rubble on the ocean floor. Lucky for him, he was only pinned to the concrete slab with the iron struts, the one that he'd fallen with, but due to the pressure of the water and the weight of the slab, he was having a hard time breaking free. Not even the enhanced strength of the suit was helping him, which was why he'd started panicking.

Many scenarios ran through the blonde teen's head as he tried to move his pinned limbs, but he kept returning to the same questions. Was his family safe? Was Iris safe? Were they being pursued by the Mandarin's re-enforcements? They could end up captured or. . . even killed. Either option worried him. Zane realized that he was the only one that could stop the Mandarin and hopefully save everyone. If only he could get out of the rubble.

"Sir, I suggest you relax and take a deep breath," the A.I. said. "I can be of assistance to you. A fair warning though: it's going to get wet." Zane thought about his words for a second, but decided he'd have to comply. If J.A.R.V.I.S had an idea, it was probably a good idea. He'd helped him out in tight situations before. Inhaling deeply to prevent water from entering his circuits and nodding, Zane held out his right hand.

The glove of the suit detached itself from his forearm and started to float, propelling itself with small thrusters. Zane immediately felt the salt water rushing into the suit, soaking his clothes until it reached his face. He watched as J.A.R.V.I.S turned the hand around to face him, and heard the whining of the pulse energy charging before it fired itself towards the weakest spot of the concrete slab. It loosened the metal struts around Zane. With that, the ice ninja was able to free himself, grabbing onto the hand of the suit and pulling himself out. "Hold on, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S said, and soon the thrusters of the hand were carrying Zane to the surface. It attached itself back to the suit's forearm while the thrusters on the suit reconfigured, giving him enough of a push to break the water's surface. He took flight, finally able to breathe as the water drained from the open feet and hands of the suit. "Sir, I detected two Spinjitzu vehicles fleeing from the wreckage. Shall we meet up with your teammates?"

The holographic screen showed Zane an enhanced view of the Ultra Sonic Raider and Rain racing down the road at high speed. He couldn't have been happier to know that his family escaped from the estate, but something seemed off. Why weren't they using the Bounty? When Zane studied the vehicles, only five images and names appeared on his H.U.D: Cole, Kai, Jay, Lucas, and Lloyd. He realized that they'd been the only ones to escape, leaving the girls and Sensei Wu in the hands of the Mandarin. He could go back and save them, but it'd probably lead him into a trap. No, he needed a plan. But before that he needed answers.

"No," Zane replied. "My mentor and some of my friends have been captured. If I go after the others, they'll try and protect me from the Mandarin. I need to keep myself away from them to ensure their safety. Right now, I need to know why the Mandarin is attacking different locations." Something dawned on him regarding the recent attacks, a theory of some sort. "Can you pull up any. . . thermal images from their recent attacks to see if the heat signatures are still there? I need to know something."

"Of course, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S replied, taking control of the suit and performing a wide thermal scan of Ninjago. In the H.U.D, Zane could see hot spots from the Mandarin attacks all over Ninjago. He thought he could see a pattern in the locations, but nothing really interested him. Zane scoffed. "I understand what you're seeking, sir, but even I can't piece anything together. What shall we do now?"

He was out of options now. There seemed to be no pattern in the ten hot spots displayed before him. He was on the run from his brother and the Mandarin. Not to mention the damage that his suit had succumbed to from the wreckage. It was causing him to have difficulty flying, an error warning flashing across the H.U.D. He had to find some place safe to hide before he sustained any more damage. But where? Then, it came to him. "We're going to where the most recent attack was and laying low," he said, turning the suit north. "I have a feeling I may find answers there, or clues as to why these attacks are happening. The Mandarin must have chosen these areas for a reason."

"As you wish, sir."

* * *

The flight seemed longer than he'd anticipated as he found himself surrounded by snowy grey clouds. Normally, he'd get there quicker, but the suit had been badly crippled by the debris at the estate. Zane thought it'd be best to go slow and try to avoid further damage, but it didn't help when he was blindly flying in the dark. He felt heavier, panic rising as he realized his thrusters had finally given out. As gravity took hold of him, he screamed, the sound echoing in the suit. He braced himself as he collided with the ground, bouncing up once before breaking through a tree and skidding to a halt. Groaning, Zane managed to flip himself onto his back.

After a quick scan, the ice ninja saw that the thrusters were shot and needed repairs, but he wasn't a mechanic like Jay. He sighed, knowing that Icele Village was a five mile walk and he couldn't abandon the suit. The Mandarin might find it and track him. Zane felt the suit retract from his face, chest, and limbs. He sat up in the snowy weather, the familiar cold of the Birchwood Forest surrounding him. It felt good to be in his element, The white ninja pulled himself to his feet, watching the suit close itself before he glanced around. He was in the middle of a snowy forest, stranded with the Iron Man suit, and had the Arc Reactor acting as a beacon. Zane sighed. "Okay. . . How hard can it be to carry a suit of metal?"

* * *

It was very hard, actually. The Ninja of Ice struggled to pull the metal exoskeleton through the fallen snow. He'd taken vines he'd found on the ground and tied them around them arm of the suit and his back. Like a sled dog he'd seen back in his old village. The suit was definitely a challenge for him to drag alone, but he knew he was close to his destination. He was looking forward to taking a break and getting some rest. Fighting the Mandarin's followers multiple times in one day could tire a nindroid out rather quickly. And his long lost brother wanted him dead, couldn't forget about that. Zane just couldn't catch a break.

The snow started to pelt the white ninja as he trekked his way through the now shin deep snow, pulling harder as the suit slowly sank. If the suit hadn't shut down on him, this would be a lot easier. If Sensei Wu was with him, he'd tell him that there aren't any shortcuts. He'd have to figure out his problems with his own potential strength. Zane knew he was on his own, what with his elemental brothers out defending themselves and his mentor protecting Laurie, Nya, and Iris from the Mandarin. He'd go back for them once he got a few more answers.

After walking another mile in the flurrying snow, Zane lifted his head and saw the faint lights of a town up ahead. He smiled to himself. He'd finally made it. "Icele Village," Zane muttered to himself, voice muffled by his mask, helping shield him from the wind and snow. He continued trekking through the snow until he found himself in a small neighborhood, deciding to hide himself in the nearest garage. It was late and he didn't want to disturb the residents or neighbors. Once he got to the large garage, he noticed the door wasn't locked. Zane pushed it open and felt warm air from a furnace. "Hello?" he called out, entering cautiously. But he heard no one respond. Good.

He dragged the damaged suit towards a set of crates, grunting as he lifted the suit onto one of the crates. Zane felt his body slipping into sleep mode from overworking himself. He stifled a yawn and stretched, rolling his tired arms and shoulders. As he walked across the room, which was looking more like a workshop than a garage, he pulled up a comfy chair and felt immediate relief when he finally sat. He simply closed his eyes, trying to pass out quickly. His circuits definitely needed it after today's events. Sleep overcame him.

* * *

"Be still or else," a voice, child-like, threatened.

Zane snorted in his sleep, eyes immediately opening at the sound of the voice. He was greeted by two pairs of deep green eyes with scarlet hair: one boy, one girl. The boy held up a plastic toy gun, which Zane recognized as a water gun. He wanted to raise his hands in defense as they glared at him, but Zane quickly realized he couldn't move them. He looked down, noticing his arms and legs had been taped to the arm rests and legs of the chair, respectively. The kids must have been really quiet for them to have done this without alerting his sixth sense. Bravo. Zane looked towards the window, noticing the sun was starting to set over the horizon. He blinked. Had he slept for an entire day? "What day is it?" he asked, also testing his bonds. The duct tape was holding steady.

"I said don't move or else," the boy growled, keeping the toy gun leveled at Zane and quickly pushing his thick, plastic glasses up to his nose. "Got it?"

"I mean you no harm," Zane stated calmly. Why were these children so tense? Sure, he was trespassing, but it was just for some rest and repairs to the suit. It wasn't necessary for them to tape him to a chair. "Look, I'm a good guy. I'm one of the ninja that protects Ninjago. Do you really need to tie me up like this?"

"If you're one of the ninja," the girl retorted, "then explain what that thing is over there." She gestured to the Iron Man suit across the workshop. "Talk or we'll spray you, Mandarin." She held up a roll of tape and tore off a strip.

All Zane could do was freeze, They thought he was with the Mandarin? Realization hit him hard. Of course they'd think he was a follower. The village had been attacked recently. They probably thought he was a straggler, hiding from the public. Zane wasn't his brother though. All he could do was smile softly. "That there is my friend," he replied gently. "He has helped me through many situations. Plus, if I wasn't a ninja. . ." He kicked his legs free of the tape and stood up, surprising the children before he performed Spinjitzu, showing that he'd completely freed himself from his bonds. "Then how am I able to do that? Only the Ninja can do that."

The children's jaws dropped. The boy lost his grip on the water gun and stood frozen. Zane chuckled, walking over and gingerly tapping their chins, motioning for them to close their mouths. "It is you," the girl gasped, moving to stand closer to her brother. "We thought you were one of those people that attacked our village, that you were hiding out before attacking again."

"I can assure you that I'm not," the ice ninja mused. He smiled softly, walking over to the Iron Man suit to inspect it. Nothing missing. Good. He turned back to the kids behind him. "My name is Zane by the way. I'm the ice ninja. What are your names?"

"My name is Aaron Jai," the boy replied, "but people call me AJ for short. This is my twin sister Arianna, or Ari for short. It's nice to meet you, Zane. But what is that?"

Twins? The nindroid really looked at them. It was true. The girl seemed smaller than the boy, but he could see it. "Well, nice to meet you AJ and Ari," he said, turning to the suit. "Well, this is one of my father's oldest inventions. He called it the Iron Man suit. It's a metal exosuit made of titanium allow for maximum protection. It flies via thrusters on its back and feet and is equipped with various weapons. Personally, I enjoy the energy pulses from the hands."

The twins were amazed. Why would a ninja have such a thing? AJ walked over to the suit, inspecting it and tapping on it. The sound echoed through the hollowness of the suit and he smiled. "It's pretty cool," he said, "but it looks like it sustained a lot of damage from a fight. Especially the thrusters. Judging by the ruined metal around the shoulder blades, it looks like some wires have been snagged. They look like they can be fixed though."

Surprised, Zane just stared at the scarlet haired boy. It was amazing for a kid that looked younger than Lloyd to know so much about mechanics. "Are you an inventor or mechanic? At such a young age?" he inquired.

"Yeah," AJ said, flipping a light switch and illuminating the entire workshop. "I invent and create my own kinds of stuff, but sometimes they don't turn out too well if I don't have the right parts."

All the Ninja of Ice could do was smile. It reminded him of the stories Jay told about growing up in the junkyard. "Impressive," he said, illuminating his eyes to see the date on an internal calendar. It had been a single day since the attacks. He was worried about his brothers, wondered if they were still safe. More importantly, he was worried for his mentor and the girls that'd been taken hostage by the Mandarin, especially Iris. What are you playing at, Xander? he wondered.

"I don't really care for it. That's all boy stuff," Ari remarked, watching as her brother stuck her tongue out at him. She huffed in return before focusing on Zane. "But what are you doing all the way up here? Why aren't you with the other ninja? And. . . what's wrong with your chest?"

Immediately, Zane's hand shot towards his chest, trying to hide his heart. But it was no use. "It's nothing," he sighed. "I'm a nindroid, a robot that my father created." He removed his gi and lifted his undershirt, opening his chest compartment to show the twins all the switches and wires that lay within him. They gasped in amazement as he closed the hatch and threw his gi back on. "This thing on my chest is actually my heart, or Arc Reactor. My father made it to power me, but it is not suppose to be exposed. And, I am here alone without my team because. . ." Zane paused for a moment. He didn't want to scare the kids by telling them he was being targeted by the Mandarin. "We were separated and I told them I would be here, looking for clues about the recent attacks." He smiled as he watched their green eyes glisten with hope. "We're going to stop them, but I need answers. I just don't know where to start looking first."

Their smiles grew wide. The ninja was here to stop the Mandarin! They quickly glanced at each other as if they were reading each other's thoughts. "We can help you with that!" the twins said, ecstatic.

Zane's face fell into a mask of concern. They willingly wanted to help him? But, they could end up getting into trouble, or worse. "I'm sorry, but. . .what about your parents?" he inquired. "They. . . uh. . . they probably don't want you out when it's dark. I can do this alone. I want you two getting into any trouble."

"Our parents are running some errands. They'll be back in a few hours," AJ replied. "We're bored, and it's our dream to help out the Ninja! For starters. . ." He and his sister bolted from the workshop, leaving the ice ninja confused. A couple of minutes later they returned with a bundle of clothes. "You can borrow come of our cousin's clothes. They're hand-me-downs for when I grow into them." Smiling, they both handed him the clothes.

Zane studied the clothes he'd been given and tossed them next to the Iron Man suit before unfolding them. He'd been given a black t-shirt and a white sweatshirt that had black stripes wrapped around the shoulders and down the arms. He shrugged. It made him think of Yin and Yang. He could use the sweatshirt to hide his heart from the public. In addition to the tops, he was given denim jeans and regular sneakers. Inhaling, Zane performed Spinjitzu before stopping, dressed in the new clothes. He folded his ninja attire and placed it next to the Iron Man suit. Zipping up the sweatshirt to cover his heart, he turned towards the twins and smiled softly. "All right then. Let's head out."

* * *

 **Hmm... What is Zane bound to find? Find out next time. Also with next week being the Thanksgiving holiday, I may not post the next update, depends really. But I will post it the week after Thanksgiving if I do come to that decision. So see you all around.**


	15. Hello Sweetie

**Hey everyone, surprise surprise to see me update on a Sunday since I didn't get to on Friday. Part of the reason is because of Thanksgiving week, everyone would be away with family, I figured I update today and then go back to my regular weekly update schedule. So here we are, enjoy.**

* * *

 **C** **hapter 14: Hello Sweetie...**

The way to the town seemed shorter than Zane thought, only about half a mile. The twins, AJ and Ari, lead the ice ninja through the small town as they made their way to the recent attack spot of the Mandarin, which they told him became a memorial site for those that lost their lives to the attack. Zane had to feel thankful that the village would do such an honor for the families that lost someone to the Mandarin, but he knew it wouldn't stop the Mandarin from doing more attacks in other places. There had to be a way to stop them.

The twins waited for Zane to catch up to them as he was starting to drift off and saw him bring himself back to quickly rush over to them. Something was bothering him. "You all right?" Ari said as he came up to her and her brother.

Zane had to look down at the scarlet haired girl to sigh and nod. He may have lied, but he didn't want them to worry. "I'm fine." he said and saw the site up ahead of them. "Let's just hurry and we can go." and lead the way to it.

All around, the white ninja couldn't take his dark blue eyes away from the flowers and tapestries that surrounded the enclosed street for being a dead end in the cobblestone path. The embers of the attack still warmed the area of the crater to melt the snow around it and lit the area to reveal Zane the horror of the site. Casted on the brick walls stood shadow figures standing in fear while others looked like they tried to run. This made the nindroid nervous to take shaky breaths at the sight of it. This could've been his family at the plaza back then, but they survived and those around him didn't.

He drew in a deep breath to collect himself and climbed over the barrier that was set up to carefully walk over to the crater to inspect it. The twins behind him felt a bit nervous if someone would catch him doing this, but waited for him to hurry up before he got in trouble. His dark blue eyes hummed as they were glowing and scanning around to search for something. He finally detected something metallic to carefully move the rubble aside to pull out something small and technological of a chip. A data chip even. He realized what that was now, the remains of an android being another Mandarin attacker. And it didn't look too damaged to him to even encrypt it and see everything of the Mandarin. "What is it, Zane?" AJ asked as he looked over his shoulder from the barrier.

He didn't reply for a minute and simply tossed it into his pockets. "Nothing really, just the answers I was looking for." the nindroid replied to turn back and climbed over the barrier to be with the twins. "I thank you two for helping me find what I need. And since it's not late, I shall treat you two for a treat for the help." He had to smile softly to their eager smiles to the offer and they lead the way.

* * *

Zane lifted his gaze to the sound of pool cues scattering around the green velvet table as he felt himself...out of it. The ice ninja couldn't hear himself think over the loud noises of music, conversations from the patrons around him, and the pool games happening around him. Why the twin said this was the place they wanted to go for their treats was something he couldn't comprehend if it was a small diner and bar. But they said it was the place that had the best Root Beer Floats in town. So he couldn't say no to that. He always wanted to try one. Never got a chance to before on the Destiny's Bounty, but in honestly, it was delicious. A nice combination of the carbonated drink and vanilla ice cream.

After taking a long sip of the blended ice cream and soda, he had to set it aside to dig into his pockets to pull out the small data chip he recovered from the memorial site to stare at it blankly. It was miraculous to him that something had survived from a thermal meltdown that obliterated everything around it and yet this survived. He was thankful for that then. "So what is that really, Zane?" Ari asked as she ate her ice cream from her glass. "You never gave us a good answer."

Zane stared at it for a minute longer to glance his eyes at the twins across from him to sigh softly to hold it out to them. They took a long gandering look at it to look at each other confused. "This here is a data chip of the Mandarin attacker that had survived." he replied. "The last two attacks happened to me and here, both were androids and this may be the memory chip of the robot and I'll know everything about the Mandarin."

"You think you'll get your answers from it?" AJ asked while pushing his glasses back up on his nose.

"I sure hope so." said Zane and placed it back in his pockets. "They have my brothers and they-" He stopped as he felt the back of his head buzzing to alert him danger was approaching, his sixth sense. And it felt hot with fire to alert him it was a recognizable foe. The Mandarin were here and looking for him. How? The twins saw him become alert to become quiet as he threw the hood of his sweatshirt over his blonde hair to conceal his identity to look down at their treats.

Soft heels clicked on the hardwood floors as they entered the small diner and bar with another set of shoes entering behind. Light blue eyes scanned around the crowded area that was filled with civilains of this small town, but the eyes were glued to a rather odd fellow in the center; one with the hood over his head. The heels clicked themselves to the table that had the fellow and two children to have her hand trace along the rings in the wood of the table to stop in front of the fellow. "Hello Sweetie," she smiled softly to trace her hand up to his hood to remove it to reveal his platinum blonde hair.

Zane lifted his gaze to the one knowing him to be greeted with a familair face. One he'd thought he wouldn't meet again if his brother was trying to kill him. Not to mention, she had the presence of the Mandarin on her. "Hello Lily," he greeted back. "Or is it called Shinxs by the other guy? Who's your friend?" He gestured to the guy by the door.

"I'm flattered you remember me." the android chuckled light to give him an unsettling smile. "As for him, he's my bodyguard and to ensure you don't escape."

Zane had to glance over his shoudler to watch the male bodyguard in the black trenchcoat stood still with a smirk to glance back at the girl with a harden stare. "And what do you mean on that?" he inquired.

Before he got a response, Lily sprang from her spot to grab the ice ninja's arms to twist them behind his back before he could realize what was happening. Zane felt his mind buzzing quickly to what just had happened as his head was slammed into the table and heard the sound of metal clicking and his wrists having cold metal tightened around them. He just realized they were handcuffed and with the commotion happening between them caught everyone's attention. "You're under arrest by Ninjago Security," she said to pull him to his feet and slammed him onto the bar counter. "You have no saying in this."

"Whoa now," a pordy male said to her to defend for Zane. "There is no need for that. He was just minding his own business and you have no right to arrest him without a warrent. I'm the sheriff here. If you're with the Ninjago Security, let me see your badge."

Lily turned to the man to give him a smirk and a light chuckle. "Certainly." she mused. She felt her body warm up to glow a reddish-orange hue with her eyes blazing the same. Making a fist, she threw it into his abdomen to hear him cry out as she held it there.

Zane became tense as he was witnessing this to start struggling from the android's grip, but she held him down on the counter. But what frightened him was that Lily was a Mandarin that had control of the stuff like the others used for their meltdowns. Like they were fire almost like his brother Kai. And she was killing him at the moment if he doesn't do anything to stop her. He glanced over his shoulder to see that the twins were petrified to move as well as everyone else was, but he nodded to himself as he gritted his teeth to push against Lily's enhanced strength. "Run you two!" he shouted and leaned himself forward on the counter to swing his right leg behind him and aimed for the back of her head. His foot made contact to her head to feel her grip loosen on him to push free from her and used his left foot to jump back flip in mid-air and landed on the other side of the diner from the girl.

A hiss escaped from the girl as she spun on her heels to glare at the white ninja and charged. For Zane, he quickly jumped to feed his bound hands under his legs to have them out in front and charged toward her to use his shoulder as a weapon. And before he made contact with her, he felt something faint escape from his power source to watch a shimmering shine envelope him to realize it. It was his force field that helped him survive the attack at the plaza, it acted as a barrier against their substance. The ice ninja quickly side stepped from the fiery android's attack to thrust his shield shoulder into her chest to push her harshly away against the counter and quickly jumped over her to hide behind the counter to find something to free him from his handcuffs. But an idea came to him to quickly throw his bounded hands around her neck to pull and felt the cuffs loosen.

A deep growl escaped from the girl to quickly increase the substance in her body to reach her neck and melt the chain-links of the cuffs to quickly turn to Zane. And before he could react, she grabbed him by his sweatshirt to lift him off his feet and threw him toward the large window to have it shattered upon impact as he fell to the hardwood floor. Lily had to chuckle to it. "Poor, poor Zane," she cooed softly as her partner lifted him off his feet. "Being a ninja, you're quick on agility and speed. And even strong. But it can't match the speed and strength of the Mandarin. Even failed to notice we traced your old teacher from your suit to here." She reached down to lift his chin to watch a shimmering blue light protect him from the substance to growl. "How you survive against Extremist is beyond me and killing you will be much harder. No matter though, killing you will be fun." She lets his head droop to laugh wickedly as her partner dropped him.

His body felt sore and his gears were starting to lock up to the pain of his motor control. He wanted to get up and fight these two off, but she was right. He couldn't match his abilities as a ninja against their speed and strength; almost like...super soldiers. And what made him confused was the mention of Extremist, his brother's source of power on his Arc Reactor. This was the cause to people with the meltdowns? Unless they have control of it like her...and Xander. This was the Mandarin's main weapons then; super soldiers of a dangerous energy source. And to him, he is the only one that can survive their attacks and even stop them. He had to for Ninjago.

Tired still, the nindroid lifted his gaze to scan around his surroundings and noticed a steak knife by him to quickly snatch it from the floor to grip it tightly. All of time seemed still to him as the diner was deserted except for the Mandarin, but waited for his chance. Once Lily had her back turned, a rush of energy caused him to sprang to his feet to launch himself onto the back of the girl to hold on as she tried to throw him off. To make sure the other didn't interfer, he spun their bodies to be enveloped in Spinjitzu. And with a quick scan, he spotted something to help. "This looks important!" he examined and jabbed the knife into her neck to wrestle with her until he heard a click from her and stopped spinning to watch her collapse to the floor.

His breathing was heavy and deep to try and collect himself after this fight to huff. Hopefully for him, Lily will be in sleep mode or reset like a computer and it'll give him time to escape. But he still had to deal with the other Mandarin soldier. And he was nowhere in sight, the entire diner was empty after Zane started to defend everyone. He was thankful that the twins got out as well so they wouldn't get hurt. But then again, he felt like something must've happened to them with the android's partner. Into instincts, Zane quickly rushed out of the diner to search for AJ and Ari and found himself in an empty lot. Sadly, he didn't see them.

As he searched and scanned, he couldn't catch any sights of scarlet hair, but his eyes snapped as he felt the other Mandarin footman behind him to quickly turn on his toes to throw a right hook punch at his assailant. But he gasped as his clenched fist was caught to be gripped tightly and felt a powerful force on his elbow to hear a loud metallic pop rip from his shoudler. All he could do was cry out in pain to hold his arm close to him as he fell to his knees, but received a boot to his chest to land roughly onto bags of snow covered trash to have clouds of snow fall onto him. And he could only whimper to his broken arm.

"Oh what's the matter, mate?" the bodyguard smirked to tower over Zane. "Can't fight anymore? Too bad then. Deep within your mind holds the key we need and you are nothin'. What do you think of that then, mate?"

Zane only winced as the pain of his broken endoskeleton had subsided to hold it tightly close to him. His dark blue eyes darkened toward his smug grin to snort. But this time he smirked. "B-Be mindful of what I am." he stated to let his arm fall limp to his side. "I am Zane, a nindroid, both a ninja and android. And with that, I always have a few tricks up my sleeves." He quickly grabbed the sleeve of his broken arm to lift it up and raised his palm to hear a click and whine as he felt the hand thruster of his suit conceal his palm. Unknown to all, he took part of his suit for defense in case for emergenices. In which, this case.

Zane smirked to the bodyguard's surprised gaze to quickly kick him in the chest to push him back and scrambled to his feet. The guard stumbled on his balanace to trip on his own footing to land against some barrels. But the Ninja of Ice still grinned to see the words _Flammable_ to quickly hold his right arm out to brace himself as he heard the click and whine of charged energy to release it at the barrels. And he quickly shielded himself to the combustion and heat to quickly glance as he saw no one anymore. Nothing but fire in the spot.

Sighing in relief, and also regret, the blonde teen glanced away to what he had done. Normally to him, it never seemed right for a ninja to kill anyone. But he still done it in self-defense if he had to protect the people here. He didn't want anymore people getting killed by the Mandarin. But still, he killed someone, an android even like his kind after he scanned him. He had no other choice though to do so to him.

"Zane!" two pairs of voice cried out to the nindroid.

Responding to the voices, Zane perked his head to see familiar scarlet hair flashing before him and ended up tackled to the snowy ground with tight arms embracing around him. He took a minute to collect himself on the affection, but carefully wrapped his good arm around the twins. "Easy now, everything is all right now." he said to feel them climb off of him. "And please be careful of my right arm, it's...dislocated and broken and need some time to relax."

The twins nodded to understand, but AJ simply smiled. "I can fix your arm." he chirped. "If you want me to though."

Zane smiled to that. "Thank you for the offer, Aaron." he said and tiredly pulled himself up with their help on his good arm. "But I may need to do this alone though. But I'll still give you a chance. My mentor always told me to not test yourself, but prove yourself and you'll become better." He smiled to his smile. "But are you two all right after what happened? I got worried for you two after I took care of Lily."

"We're okay, Zane." Ari replied to cling closer to her brother. "We hid in the kitchen after that guy tried to kidnap us for you, but we were glad he left, but we were worried for you and watched you get rid of him." She felt her eyes sting a bit with fresh tears. "But I want to go home now. This has been too much."

Nodding, the nindroid agreed with her as she was right. Today has been too much for the three of them. And mostly they were all in danger if the Mandarin find out Lily and her partner haven't returned with him. He'll have to leave soon to protect all of them. "Come on," he said and gently took her hand. "Let's get you home then. We all can use some rest after this event."


	16. The Smallest Weapon

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. Nothing really much to say since we're now back to our regular update schedule so enjoy it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: The Smallest Weapon**

Tools clattered around Zane as he watched the scarlet haired boy rummage through the many tool boxes in the workshop. The pain in his right shoulder still lingered, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when his attacker had first dislocated it. And, with AJ's help, his arm would be as good as new soon enough. Using his left knee, Zane carefully pushed open the panel in his left arm. He winced as he brought his right hand closer to it, fingers twitching as he typed along the keys, eyes illuminating. He brought his gaze to a blank wall, a projected image of his blueprints flickering: a visual guide for AJ to follow. After studying the designs for a long while, Zane pushed up the sleeve of his t-shirt and grabbed a pin, carefully pushing it into his underarm. He grit his teeth against the pain, pushing the pin deeper until he heard a click, signifying that he'd hit the tiny button that would open his shoulder region.

The skin on his shoulder began to split down the center, opening to reveal his endoskeleton. He sighed. They were going to need something to repair the torn skin afterwards. Zane's body couldn't mend itself like a human's. Maybe J.A.R.V.I.S would have something that would help. After his shoulder finished opening, he braced himself for the worst before taking a peek. Wires were snapped, the metal ball-and-socket join in his arm was out of place, but relief washed over him. It didn't look like anything was beyond repair, which was good. He doubted AJ had something that would have been able to replace his joint if it'd broken.

"Allow me, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S offered as he took control of the Iron Man suit, standing and walking over to the ice ninja. He gently took hold of Zane's shoulder and pushed his arm until he heard a popping sound. Zane winced at the pain that overtook him, but took a deep breath. The worst was over. J.A.R.V.I.S nodded before looking away. "I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you," he said, taking a seat back among the crates and letting go of the controls of the suit. "I never expected Xander to trace me and find you, but I have managed to block him. I cannot say anything about his companion. She will probably recover soon and escape from police custody. I have bought you some more time and will help you keep the children safe."

Zane smiled. He'd forgiven J.A.R.V.I.S for the mishap. "It's all right. We're safe now," he reassured him. He turned to AJ who sat on his right. "Ready?"

The young boy nodded as he took his tools and began examining the nindroid. Sparks sprouted from the hand held torch as Zane watched AJ weld the severed wires together. He looked away, taking a sip of the tea that Arianna had brought him. This was going to take some time. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out the data chip of the Mandarin android from the site. It was time to look for the answers he wanted, but he couldn't get the chip into his panel while his arm was being fixed. He needed some help. Where had Ari gone?

Finally, the blonde teen spotted the girl from across the room as she walked over with a small plate of cheese and crackers. She smiled softly as she gripped the snack. "Ah, thank you," Zane smiled. "I do need some help though." He gestured his head towards the chip. "Could you insert this into the slot in my arm and hit the green button? I need to analyze this."

The girl nodded shyly, taking the chip from Zane's open palm. He wondered why she'd been so quiet since they returned home, but he figured she was just traumatized from the attack. The nindroid watched as the chip was inserted into the aforementioned slot and Ari pressed the green button. His body jerked suddenly, causing Zane to gasp and startling the twins.

His breath became quick and startled as his body took hold of the Mandarin chip. Everything inside the chip astonished him, his eyes changing to display the footage of files across the wall. The twins and Zane watched as Xander stood beside a man strapped to an inclined table. Xander held an Arc Reactor in his hand and placed it inside the chest cavity of the man, who Zane now gathered was an android. As the man's eyes opened and sprung to life, he started shaking uncontrollably, screaming in pain as his body began to glow a bright red. Xander and a group of scientists quickly evacuated the room, leaving the camera behind as the android screeched, disappearing in a flash of red light. When the light faded, Zane could see the room left in absolute shambles. The footage flickered before turning to nothing. Zane's eyes dimmed back to normal and he looked away, taking in everything he'd seen.

His brother was a Mandarin follower, this much was certain, and he was providing the group with weapons. What had corrupted Xander so much? Why had he decided to align with the Mandarin? Zane sighed, sitting back down and trying to collect himself. This had to end. But how?

He exhaled deeply, still trying to figure out a solution as AJ returned to repairing his arm.

* * *

Fear spread across her face as she stared at the cuffs that bound her to the metal table. She couldn't move her arms or legs at all. She was afraid, but she wasn't alone. Around her were the samurai and the Ninja of Wind, stuck in the same predicament as her. As she glanced over, she could see the fear embedded in the red head's ice blue eyes, but her face had an air of stubbornness. The samurai appeared to be the same. What were their names again? Nya and Laurie?

The former secretary, Iris, felt a chill crawl over her bare skin. They'd all been dressed in nothing but black sweatpants and tank tops. She tried to think of warm things to help stop the shivering, but nothing was helping. Iris couldn't focus. They were prisoners of the Mandarin. Everything had been a blur since Doctor Julien's estate had been destroyed, along with Zane. No, he was all right. She hoped he was all right and somehow managed to escape. What about the other remaining ninja? Too many different scenarios filled her mind. She sighed. What did the Mandarin want with them?

The sound of the metal door opening caught the girls' attention as Zane's brother entered the room, two Mandarin soldiers flanking him, weapons cradled in their arms. Iris grew tense with fear as Xander strode in calmly, his arms tucked behind his back and smug grin plastered across his face. However, Nya and Laurie glared back. What did he want? "How are you ladies tonight?" he wondered humorously to himself. "Doing well?"

"We were before you showed up, Tin Man," Nya remarked, watching Xander's grin fall into a grimace. "We were enjoying each other's company and then you brought your traitorous face. Zane must be ashamed of you."

The grimace remained for a short while, until Xander snorted and turned away. He wouldn't have to deal with the girl for much longer. "No matter," he huffed. "Zane won't be alive for much longer. Once we capture him, we'll reveal the plans hidden deep within his databanks. Then I won't need any of you." He walked over to his two bodyguards. "Leave us. I'll be fine. It's not like they can escape." The two guards chuckled lightly in response. "Just make sure she's ready when I need her. Now go." Xander turned on his heels as the bodyguards left, the metal door closing behind them. "So, are there any questions I can answer now that we're alone? Come on, don't be shy. Questions are meant to be asked after all."

"What's the point? You already told us your elaborate plan," Laurie said, smirking. "But I'll let you know now: if the Mandarin hurts my brother in any way, you'll regret it. And don't act so smug. Our friends will stop your leader. Face it, Xander, in every book I've ever read, every movie I've ever seen, the villain always loses to the hero. In this case, that hero's Zane. He has an upper hand after all."

"And what would that be, Laurie Garmadon?" Xander scowled.

"Strength. Willpower. A suit of armor," the red head said. The male android huffed at her words, turning his back on her. "Best of all, Zane has his brothers to back him up until the very end." Xander froze at the mention of brothers, turning to see the small grin on Laurie's face widen. "Face it, you're his brother, but you aren't his brother. You're betraying Zane. There's no honor in betraying your family. My friends, my cousin, my brother, they'd never betray one another. We're all family, and family sharpens family. Of course, you wouldn't know about that." She held her hands steady, trying to focus her powers. A small wisp of wind brushed her hair and Laurie thrust her hands forward as much as she could. The wind was strong enough to make Xander stumble. "So, if you're not Zane's brother, what does that make you?"

Xander glared at the orange ninja, clenching his fists at his sides. He wanted nothing more than to torture her, have her experience excruciating, unbearable pain. But he'd hold back for now. She'd get it all soon enough. "What does that make me?" he asked. "It makes me a follower of the Mandarin. My father trusted Zane more than me, favored Zane. I knew deep down that it was because of the Arc Reactor. It was the greatest power source my father had ever created. I grew jealous of it and made my own source of power: the Extremis. It had a few. . . nasty side effects, but I overpowered it and have control over it, like some of the others. The ones who couldn't survive the power were the ones we used as messengers. My power source worried my father. He thought it was dangerous and tried to remove it from me, but I couldn't let him do that. So, when I discovered that he'd entrusted Zane with his greatest work, I tried to obtain it from him, but I failed. His power source was much greater than mine. So, I left and aligned myself with the Mandarin."

He looked down at his hands, feeling his power source course through him. "For years, I've been training with this group. Using my abilities to their advantage," he continued. "I realized my power source could be the weapon they'd always wanted, so I provided them with it, despite the pesky side effects. We waited for the right moment to strike, and I found out about my father's passing and Zane's disappearance. I took over the family company and, what do you know, no one suspected me of providing the Mandarin with money and weapons. I became the favorite for once, told the Mandarin about Zane and the hidden plans. That was when we started. But every time I have Zane within my grasp, he just won't die." Xander glared at his now glowing hands, igniting the substance within him, and grabbed an empty metal table, throwing it across the room. "He will soon though."

"Only one flaw I can find," the samurai spoke. "You can't kill a ninja, especially Zane. Ninja are quick and silent, but Zane is your brother, your family. Face it; you don't have the guts to actually kill him. You're no different than anyone."

Xander snorted. She had no idea what it was like to be an android. "I'm no different, Nya Smith?" he retorted. "I'm an android. I have no guts. I'm not like you humans. I don't care if my baby brother dies. I have no feelings at all. Personally, I would enjoy killing Zane myself." He smirked, imagining Zane broken and beaten before him, waiting for the final blow to be delivered. "They say 'no guts, no glory'. In my case, it should be 'no guts, but glory will soon be within my grasp'. I can almost taste it."

The thought of Zane being injured, or even killed, worried Iris. She looked away from Xander, disappointed in herself for ever betraying Zane. But she hadn't had a choice, not with her sister's safety at stake. Actually, speaking of that. . . "What about my sister?" she said quietly, turning her gaze back to Xander. "Is she safe? You told me that I'd get her back if I helped you." Tears formed in her eyes, starting to sting. "Please, give her back to me. I need her."

There was a knock at the door. Xander glanced back at it with a smirk. Perfect timing, he mused. "Why don't we see your sister for ourselves," he said. "You make like the new her. It was extremely hard for us to track down a Hypnobrai, be we eventually found one. Iris, meet Korinna." He opened the door, allowing someone to enter.

Iris' brows raised, her expression puzzled, but her light brown eyes grew wide at the sight of the little girl entering the room. She had long black hair secured with a head band, dressed in all black clothing with the Mandarin symbol sewn over her heart. This was her baby sister, no doubt, but the most startling thing about her was her glaring red eyes: the Hypnobrai's control. The tears overflowed, cascading down Iris' cheeks as Xander whispered something into her sister's ear. Her small frame erupted in a reddish glow as she growled, the Extremis substance running through her veins. Iris felt the fear begin to return. The other girls stared on in shock. The Mandarin had made the girl into a weapon. "Korinna, no. . ." Iris cried, choking on her tears and tearing her gaze away from her sister. "No. . ."


	17. Gloating Leads to Preparations

**Chapter 16: Gloating Leads to Preparations **

Sunlight broke though the once grey skies, brightening up the morning. A fresh layer of snow had fallen during the night, a crystallized blanket that reflected the sun. Despite the warmth the sun brought, the chill in the air lingered, but that was just the way it was in the northern part of Ninjago; winter hit hard. The citizens of Icele Village embraced the weather though. It was their home after all.

Zane glanced down at the final touches to his. . . somewhat repaired Iron Man suit. AJ had stayed up repairing his arm until they were sent to bed after Zane had met his parents. After a winded explanation, they'd agreed to let the ice ninja stay the night, but only if he left the next day. Zane couldn't blame them. The father was the village mayor, and Zane was risking the twin's safety by staying around. But, after spending all night on repairs, with J.A.R.V.I.S's help, the suit was able to take flight once more. He still needed to find his brothers. He knew that today was the day to strike the Mandarin, to save his friends for good.

The ice ninja inspected the suit one last time, shivering in the nippy morning air. All the repairs looked good, the suit ready for when Zane finally left. Something seemed to be missing though, but what? The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut caused the nindroid to jump. He turned around, remembering what he'd been forgetting: saying goodbye to the twins.

The scarlet haired boy raced towards the Ninja of Ice, his twin right behind him. They saw the Iron Man suit sitting out in the yard before they started to get upset. They didn't want Zane to leave after what had happened the night before. It wasn't just scary, it had been exhilarating. The twins wrapped their arms around Zane, holding him tightly as he wrapped his own arms around them in return. "Do you really have to go now, Zane?" AJ asked, trying to push his bulky glasses back up his nose.

"Yeah, do you really have to?" Ari asked, squeezing the nindroid tighter.

The white ninja sighed, closing his dark blue eyes. He wanted to tell the kids he'd had fun with them despite endangering them with the Mandarin encounter, but he couldn't. He'd promised their parents he would leave. If he stayed, he'd just bring more danger to the village, a target for the Mandarin. Leaving was going to be hurtful for all of them.

"I'm sorry, you two, but I must," he finally said, releasing the kids and kneeling down to their height. The solemn looks on their faces made him sigh yet again. "The Mandarin is targeting me. I'm putting yours and everyone's lives at risk. I have to go to keep everyone safe, especially you two. Plus, I need to find my friends so we can stop the Mandarin once and for all. You have to understand, this is my duty."

"We know you're doing this to protect us," AJ said sadly, "but it was so fun and exciting to be with you. We don't want you to leave, even if our parents said you should."

"Yeah, it was the best," Ari added with a small smile, but it disappeared as she latched on to Zane again with her brother. "We still don't want you to go. Being friends with a ninja is awesome! You even stopped the bad guys."

Zane glanced at the twins and frowned. It was hard on all of them, but he had to go to protect everyone. He wished there was something he could give them for all of their hospitality. An idea came to him and he smiled softly. "Hey, I have something for the two of you," he said, pulling away from them and opening the hatch in his chest. He reached through the wires, unscrewing two of the six nuts that held his heart in place, handing one to each of the twins. "These are what keep my heart in place. I'm giving them to you so you can be strong for me and help hold my heart in place even while I'm gone. I may be leaving, but you'll always have a part of me with you. I will never forget about you two. Please, keep them safe."

The twins stared down at the nuts, their eyes glistening with tears as they nearly tackled Zane to the ground with one last strong hug. This was the greatest gift they could have received from the Ninja of Ice. "We will, Zane," they said together. "For you."

All Zane could do was smile. He didn't want to hurt them any longer. They'd take good care of their gifts, he just knew it. "Thank you both," he said, rubbing their backs softly before turning towards the suit. Before he opened it, he looked at the twins one last time, giving them a comforting smile. "Take care, you two. I'll see if I can come and visit you again soon. I'll bring the others with me when I do." He watched as they both grinned at his promise, and then he stepped into the suit. With everything locked and primed, the ice ninja brought his hands to his hips and ignited the thrusters, taking to the sky and leaving the small village behind.

After flying for a few minutes, the suit had proved to be more stable than Zane had anticipated. He gentled glided through the sky, despite a few instances of turbulence, finding the suit to be very controllable. The sadness of leaving the twins still lingered, but he knew he'd be fine as time passed. The gifts he'd given them would give them strength and hope in his absence. He smiled to himself as he flew.

"I think those were wonderful gifts to give the children, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S said as he voice box appeared on the H.U.D. "You made them as happy as you could before you left. I am sure your father would be proud of what he built into you: protecting those that cannot protect themselves."

Zane smiled, remembering the final moments before his father has turned off his memory switch. Built to protect those that cannot protect themselves. "I don't think it was something my father built into me," he said quietly. "I. . . was doing it all out of instinct, not programming. Those kids were in danger, and I protected them because they were not able to do so on their own. They were my friends, so I wanted to keep them safe."

"Speaking of friends," the A.I spoke up, "I have made contact with the falcon and tracked down your team. They have been lying low in the Misty Forest. Do you wish to contact them now? The lines will be private, untraceable."

Contact his elemental brothers? Zane was relieved to know his brothers were still safe after seeing them escape on his radar. He wondered if they had been able to help Sensei Wu and the girls. If they were safe, they could stop the Mandarin together as a family. "Yes," he said quickly. He allowed J.A.R.V.I.S to take full control of the suit, a new box appearing on the H.U.D in front of him. As the screen brightened, an image of his elemental brothers faded in. "Brothers!" Zane smiled as they all turned towards him, no doubt the falcon showing them a holograph of himself.

"Zane, you're alive!" Jay squealed excitedly. "We thought you were a goner after the Mandarin destroyed your father's home! You don't know how happy I am to see you. . . well, in hologram form for now that is. Hehe."

The blonde teen smiled. He'd missed Jay's humor, even though they'd only been apart for a couple of days now. In fact, he'd missed all of them. "It's great to see you guys too," he smiled. "What has happened during my absence? Is your location safe?"

"We're in the Misty Forest right now," Cole stated as he leaned against a tree. "We've just been hiding and waiting to see if you were. . . alive. If not, we were going to go after the Mandarin ourselves because things are getting worse."

Zane's brow lifted. Worse?

"Yeah," Kai chipped in. "The Mandarin followers are attacking villages, towns, even Ninjago City. They're looking for you. We've been hearing the reports from the radios of the Ultra Sonic Raider and Rain. We want to stop them, but we don't know how to without you, the girls, and Sensei."

Zane frowned as guilt started to claw at him. The Mandarin followers were getting more restless and vicious, all because of him. Whatever he had in his database that they wanted was becoming increasingly valuable. It was clear they'd stop at nothing until they obtained it. He had to put an end to everything before any more people ended up hurt. "What about Sensei and the girls?" He paused, remembering someone else. "And Iris? What about her?"

"Xander has taken the girls prisoner," Lucas replied, frowning. "As for my dad, some of Xander's goons are keeping him on the Bounty. Nowhere in Ninjago is safe unless we do something. What can we do?"

Defeat and loss glistened in his brothers' eyes and Zane frowned. Lucas was right. What could they do to stop the Mandarin? There were more enemies than the six of them could handle, even with fire power. They were, as Jay would say, sitting ducks. Odd for fowl to just sit around, but they had to figure out a way to stop the Mandarin as soon as possible.

He concealed his doubt behind determination. They were the Ninja. Ninja never give up. "That's where you're wrong," Zane retorted. "Ninjago will be safe because we'll make it safe together, as a family. Sensei has said before "iron sharpens iron" and brother sharpens brother. Together, we'll be able to stop the Mandarin."

"Uh, Zane, did something hit you on the head when you fell with the house?" Jay inquired, puzzled. "This plan of yours sounds. . . suicidal. Did you not hear what we just said? They're attacking all kinds of places. They are an army. There's only six of us left, two with elemental powers. The fire power. . . it's more than your Iron Man suit can handle. Sure, Laurie and Nya could help, but they aren't here." He paced around nervously before slumping against the tread belt of the Ultra Sonic Raider, hanging his head in defeat. "We're hooped, I just know it. I wonder if I'll ever see Nya again. . ."

"Might I make a suggestion?" J.A.R.V.I.S chimed in. The A.I's voice made the Ninja jump. "Sorry for startling you, but I believe I can help you achieve your goal of stopping the Mandarin. I must ask that you all head to the home tree in the Birchwood Forest. Once there, I will help you prepare to fight against the enemy."

Help was back at Zane's childhood home? What could it be? "I guess we have no other choice," Zane said, agreeing with the A.I. "I trust J.A.R.V.I.S. He has helped me through a lot. Do you guys think you can make it to the Birchwood Forest safely without being spotted by anyone?"

The Ninja glanced at each other, worry written across their faces. If Zane trusted the A.I, they didn't have much of a choice. "We'll meet up with you before nightfall," Cole answered. "You stay safe. And J.A.R.V.I.S," he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, "this plan of yours better work."

"I assure you, this plan will work," the A.I said. "Do not worry about Zane. I will protect him with everything this suit has."

Zane nodded. "Take care, brothers." The call ended, the screen fading to black, and Zane drew in a deep breath. Jay had been right. His original plan was suicide. The Mandarin had the advantage of fire power, not just with traditional weapons, but with whatever the followers had in their bodies as well. The only two on their side that could currently use powers were Lloyd and Lucas. Even with them, it was too dangerous. How had he managed to drag everyone into this mess?

"Sir, I do not wish to break your train of thought, but I have some news I wish to share." Zane quickly shook his head, returning to reality. "I analyzed the microchip you recovered and I have managed to trace its origin back to the location of the Mandarin, and your brother." Zane's dark blue eyes widened. Where was his brother hiding out? "Unfortunately, they were able to stop me. I only managed to find a fraction of the specific location: somewhere west of Ninjago City. However, it seems like I could connect with Xander's algorithm and contact him through this chip. If you keep him on the line, I can get a better signal and pinpoint his exact location. Would you like to try? It may be the only chance we have left."

Intrigued, Zane pondered the odds. Using his brother to find the location of the Mandarin could be his only option. He could rescue the girls from him. "Yes," he replied. "I will keep him talking until you finally get it." Zane allowed J.A.R.V.I.S to take full control of the suit once more, a new box flickering to life on the H.U.D. He recognized the long, raven hair immediately. "Xander," he grimaced.

His older brother merely smirked. "Zane, Zane, Zane," he mused, a hint of laughter in his words. "Nice to see you alive after. . . oh, I don't know, the surprise visit you had from Lily. How are you holding up?"

Zane glared at his brother. He wanted to end the call right now, but he had to keep going for J.A.R.V.I.S. "I am doing rather well," he replied. "No thanks to you or your companion, but it doesn't matter. I took care of her and her bodyguard. But, brother, listen to me. This has to stop. Innocent lives are in danger because of these attacks. Father would not want this from either of us."

Xander gave a throaty chuckle, a smirk still plastered on his face. Zane's face fell. His brother really didn't want to listen at all. "Oh, Zane," he laughed. "You don't know anything about Father and me. I don't care for Father. He's the reason why I am the way I am. He liked you more, favored you, all because of the Arc Reactor. I became jealous, even more so when he encrypted that special data deep within your head." Xander's face melted into a grimace. "We are powerful in numbers and we continue to grow. We're unstoppable now. You have nothing. Not ever your Spinjitzu will help you now."

The power and control Xander was given had consumed him entirely. Zane's heart dropped. He'd completely lost his brother. "You're wrong," he said. "I do have an army: my brothers. We're going to stop the Mandarin. Ninja never give up."

Once more, Xander only flashed a smug grin. "Try all you want," he mused. "I'll let you in on a little secret: every Mandarin follower has the Extremis substance within them. It makes us all unstoppable. Of course, we're just androids. We injected it into our first human subject recently, and I think we'll try it out on our prisoners too." He laughed as he watched Zane's face fall. "Oh, and I know J.A.R.V.I.S had been tracing me since you started the call. I've managed to throw him off so you can't find us. Best of luck to you, little brother." His smug face flickered away as the call ended.

Zane growled. He'd done all of that for nothing. Xander was cleverer than he'd anticipated. This had been a huge revelation though: every Mandarin follower had the Extremis substance inside of them. Unfortunately, he remembered the footage he'd seen of the one test subject in the lab. If Xander was going to use it on the girls. . . they might not survive. How could he stop that from happening? How could he find Xander now?

Something came to Zane and he pulled the recording of the call up. He removed all of Xander's audio and enhanced the background noise, hearing the sounds of seagulls and. . . the ocean? Zane was confused until he heard the sound of a ship's horn blaring. It dawned on him: his brother was in a shipyard. And there was only one west of Ninjago City. "Got you now, brother," he smirked.

* * *

Xander chuckled as he ended the call with his younger brother. "So naïve to take me on," he said to himself. The android pulled his hair back into a tight ponytail before he left, traversing down the stairs to the catwalk below. "Soon, Zane," he mused. "Soon."

Unbeknownst to Xander, prying ears had been listening to everything. He glanced down at his chest, confused. How could he have been so blond? He thought he'd been brought to life to help the world, not to ruin it. He sighed, slumping back against the wall and running his fingers through his shaggy hair.

"Something on your mind, James?" asked a soft, gentle voice.

The android lifted his head and made eye contact with his twin and other sister. He couldn't bring himself to lie to them. James stood, tucking a strand of black hair back behind his twin's ear. "Xander's been playing us," he said softly, looking down at his arm and shuddering. "We're nothing but tools for the Mandarin. Look at all of this." He gestured to the armed androids on the catwalks above them. "This isn't us. I don't want to be used. I want a better life. I. . . want to be a respiratory therapist."

The two girls looked confused at first, but eventually took James' words to heart. He gave them a small smile. "You're right," Kiwi said. "This isn't like us. We're supposed to help Ninjago, not terrorists. I don't want to be part of this."

"But what can we do?" Melody asked. "I agree, but what happens now? Everyone here is ruthless. They put that Extremis stuff into that little girl. I want to be a pediatrician. I wanted to help her, but I couldn't. . ."

James pulled his sisters into a tight hug. He had a plan. "Let's run away and never come back," he whispered into their ears so no one could overhear him. "Just follow my lead." He guided the two down to ground level of the shipyard, slyly removing their tracking chips along the way, tossing them into the ocean. When they reached the checkpoint near the exit, he told the guards that they were going out to run errands, and the guards approved. Of course, the guards would never know when they returned.

The three rebels drove off.


	18. Suit Up

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. Tension is rising now as the battle of the Ninja and Mandarin draws near. But before the assault can engage, they might as well be prepared. I also want to announce that since Christmas is next Friday, there won't be an update because Christmas is the time to celebrate with family and I'll be busy with Christmas weekend. But I will update the week after Christmas. So Merry Early Christmas and I'll see you all in the new year. And enjoy the update. :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Suit Up**

 _The sound of the ball's impact on the hardwood floor amused the blonde android as he bounced it. Gravity taking hold of an object before allowing it to bounce back up into his hands; it was all so fascinating. As the years passed by, the processing and algorithms in Zane's databanks grew with him. He felt proud. Even the greying Samuel Julien smiled. His youngest son was developing rather well, but still slower than his brother._

 _The rubber ball in Zane's hands fell once more, but caught the edge of his foot and rolled away into a darker area of the tree house. He rushed after it and grabbed for it as a pair of dark blue eyes glared at him. "Brother?" he asked innocently. "Are you well?"_

 _Xander gazed down at his younger brother's heart before snorting and shoving him away. Zane felt confused as his father came over, helping him pick himself up as Xander trotted up the winding staircase towards the surface. "Brother, where are you going?" he asked. He wondered why Xander had been distant lately. "Please tell me."_

 _Xander stopped at the door and glared back at Zane. "Just getting some air," he muttered, turning to push the door open. "And to get away from you," he said under his breath as he walked out._

 _Zane sighed as he watched his brother leave the tree, looking down at his heart. Xander was always staring at it and Zane wondered why. Was there something important about it? His brother didn't seem to have a heart like his. Was that why he was always angry with him? Why?_

* * *

 _Snap!_

Dark blue eyes snapped open to the sound of a twig breaking in the Birchwood Forest. Zane scanned around with his H.U.D, looking for any heat signatures or movement around him. Nothing. Neither he nor J.A.R.V.I.S could detect any danger, but it didn't mean the Mandarin hadn't already found him. Had Xander been tracing his location during their last talk too? Zane really couldn't take any chances.

His back was pressed up tightly against the thin, striped bark of a nearby tree, trying to conceal himself. He hadn't heard any Treehorns walking around earlier. The shuffling of snow grew louder and closer as Zane armed his gauntlets. If he was in danger, he'd have to everything in his power to survive. No more running. After taking a deep breath, Zane stepped out from his hiding spot and fired the pulsars in his hands. All he heard was a tree fall.

"Watch it, Zane, before you literally kill us," a familiar voice chastised. The nindroid opened his eyes and fell upon familiar faces lying in the snow, and Jay was the one glaring at him. "Seriously, be careful when you aim that thing," the blue ninja grumbled, picking himself up.

Zane brought his arms down to his sides, an apologetic smile on his face. He was happy to see his brothers, even if he'd accidentally fired at them. "I am sorry," he said quickly and shamefully, the smile still plastered on his face as he lifted his mask. "It was an accident! I thought you were with the Mandarin, but how did you not appear on my scanners when I was looking for heat signatures?"

"Lucas made us drink some silver tea, told us it'd hide our body heat," Cole replied, helping Lucas and Kai to their feet. "But don't sweat it; we thought you were with the Mandarin too. We're glad it's only you, even if you did try to shoot us."

Zane frowned and looked away. "I am still sorry, but I had no other choice," he said. "It was for my own protection for. . . survival." The Ninja shot him worried glances. "I am tired of running away and I want to stop the Mandarin." He led the way towards the metal tree, his old home, feeling nostalgic as he approached it. This was where he'd been created, where he'd grown up. A lot had happened inside the hollow tree. "The Mandarin has turned my brother into something he is not, and I want to free him."

The Ninja gazed around at each other, worry evident about their nindroid brother. Nodding, Kai walked up to Zane and gave his shoulder a comforting pat. "Hey, don't forget about the girls and Sensei. They're still being held captive," he said. "But, with all of us together, we'll throw everything we've got at them and free everyone. Remember, iron sharpens iron and brother sharpens brother. We fight as a team and a family."

"Easy for you to say," Lucas chastised. "The Mandarin army is large in number, especially against just the six of us. Even with our powers, Lloyd and I still don't stand a chance against them."

Zane stiffened at Lucas' words. He was right, they didn't have an army to stop the Mandarin. "Perhaps I can be of assistance, Mr. Wu," the A.I said in his monotone voice, startling the Ninja. "Each of you have the potential to stop the Mandarin and I have just the solution you are looking for. I did as you all to meet here, yes?"

The metal door of the tree swung open as Zane led the others inside. Robotic arms swung from the walls and stairs, startling them even more, but one by one, the arms took a piece of the Iron Man suit off of Zane. As he walked, he scanned the room as he stepped out of his heavy boots, watching as everything disappeared into the walls. Zane glanced around with the others as they waited. "J.A.R.V.I.S, what did you want to show us?" he asked.

The floor beneath their feet rumbled as the Ninja realized the room was getting taller. Actually, the room wasn't growing; they were just descending deeper into the ground, farther than the tree had originally been built for. Darkness consumed them as the floor ceased all movement, but loud clicking and bright lights engulfed the group, making them cringe. The six allowed their eyes to adjust before gasping as they took in what was in front of them.

There was more than one?

Iron Man suits stood in row after row. Some were taller. Some were smaller. Some were bulkier, while others were sleeker. Some had weapons or gadgets attached to the extremities, and others didn't. Different color schemes glinted in the light, more variety than just the red and gold of Zane's suit. He did a quick scan, counting over seventy suits of armor. His father had created this many Iron Man suits?

"Your father was sleep deprived from the nightmares of darkness consuming Ninjago," the A.I began. A holographic golden sphere appeared in front of the Ninja. They realized it was J.A.R.V.I.S. "He feared it was because of the Mandarin, and that his army was getting stronger. He created you and Xander to be protectors, but he thought it was not enough. Every night, he spent time creating these suits in the hope that they would be used to defend Ninjago. Since his passing, these have been waiting for your use. You now have an army to stop the Mandarin. All of you can use these."

Zane was too stunned to move. He'd heard stories of his father being sleep deprived, creating him, his brother, and the MRK 6 suit, but seeing these other suits amazed him. His father had accomplished so much and Zane had never known. All of these Iron Man suits were his to use. An army. "The Mandarin is growing stronger the longer we wait," he said, walking over to a suit. "Ninjago is relying on us to protect the people. We must put a stop to all of this. Who's with me?"

The five ninja glanced around at each other, smirking and nodding. "We're with you, Zane!" Cole said. "We're with you until the end."

Zane smiled. Being together again gave them stronger odds of being victorious. It reminded him of all the adversaries they'd faced before: the skeletons, Serpentine, the Solstice Battle, the stone men with Rhea, pirates, and even their evil clones. Together as one, brothers forever. "Alright, let's suit up."

* * *

After a quick meal, the six ninja stood side by side in front of a circular pad. Each was dressed in a black, form fitting suit, mended by J.A.R.V.I.S for comfort and mobility: gel layers to regulate body temperature and boots. Each suit had a colored strip down the arms and legs of the fabric, distinguishing them from one another. Each ninja was prepared for the assault on the Mandarin's army.

"I have selected the correct suits for each of you based on your elements and personal abilities," J.A.R.V.I.S stated. "Also, Lloyd, you will not be getting a suit to help you in the fight. Your suit will be used for protection as you fly with Lucas." The green ninja pouted. "Let us start with Kai. I present to you, the MRK 20, assaulter."

Kai watched as the overhead lights illuminated his suit. His jaw dropped. A bulky black and red suit stood before him. There was a sentry gun mounted on the left shoulder with more weapons attached to the arms. He was too stunned to move at first, but slowly managed to walk towards it as the armor opened. Kai stepped inside and slipped his hands into the suit's gauntlets. It closed around him, humming to life. "Oh yeah! I think this should be known as the War Machine because of the ffffiiiiirrreee power!" he exclaimed with a large smile. He held out his hand and fired at a target. Once the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of it. Kai's mask lifted to reveal his smirking face. "Ooohhh yeah."

"I am glad to see you are enjoying it," the A.I said. "Next is Jay with the MRK 38, front line defense unit."

Jay was bouncing on the balls of his feet. He'd always wanted a suit since he's first seen Zane's on the Bounty. When his suit was lifted onto the pad his smile grew extra wide. It was blue and very large, but had something sheathed underneath of the arms. Jay quickly ran over to it as it opened itself up and enveloped him. "Let's see here," he wondered, crossing his arms and throwing them outwards. Electricity crackled to life. He held two flexible, electric rods in his hands, turning on his heels and whipping one of them around to make a clean cut through a dismembered motorcycle. "Woohoo!" he cheered. "Call me Whiplash!" The rods retracted back under his arms.

"Uh. . . what's wrong with my suit?" Cole wondered as his suit popped up. It looked slim, like Zane's first suit, but there were outlets on the limbs.

"That is only the first part of the suit I have selected for you," the A.I stated, opening the suit for Cole.

"First part?" Cole blinked as he stepped into the suit, allowing it to close around him. "There's more?" Before he could do anything, he yelped as his suit started hovering without his control. Large pieces of armor flew across the bunker, attaching themselves to his limbs, back, chest, and waist. Cole now stood eleven feet tall, a giant. A domed helmet finished off the metal shell. He scanned with his H.U.D, seeing the full design of the suit. "Oh, yes!" he echoed inside of the suit. "This is awesome! I'll call it the Muscles, no, wait! The Hulk Buster!"

"Ha ha, nice!" Jay laughed, admiring his own suit and attempting to fly. "I would've gone with Juggernaut, but I like that too."

"I am pleased to see you admiring your suits, but it is now time for Lucas," J.A.R.V.I.S said, revealing the next suit. Lucas raised a scarred brow. It looked like Zane's MRK 6 without any gadgets or weapons. Just a silver suit. "I know it is not much, but it is only a prototype. Doctor Julien never finished it, but it was designed for fire rescues. I modified the hands so they may open, allowing you to use your elemental powers for defensive and offensive attacks." Another slot below Lucas' suit opened up, revealing a smaller suit compromised of dark green and gold metal. "As I said earlier, Lloyd's suit is only for protection."

The two ninja glanced at each other and smiled before they rushed towards the new suits. Stepping into the suits, both cousins allowed themselves to be encased. Lucas glanced at his hands and watched the thrusters open up to reveal the palms of his hands. His own powers would be the weapons used to fight the Mandarin's army. The grey and green ninja glances at each, their masks lifting away from their faces, reading each other's minds. "Dynamic Duo!" they cheered.

Zane smiled. His brothers were enjoying and admiring their new suits. This was more perfect than he ever could've imagined. "Sir, I believe I have found an appropriate suit for you too," the A.I announced. "It may not correspond to your elemental affinity, but it does fit your attire. I present to you, the MRK 42."

The ice ninja watched as his new suit appeared before him. All he could do was grin as he studied the white colored metal with gold edgings. He slowly walked over to it and ran a hand along the gleaming chest piece. "I like it," he said to himself. As Zane held his hand out, the suit fell to pieces and started reassembling itself on his body. Smiling, Zane flipped as his mask finally attached itself to the rest of the suit, and landed in a crouch. His smile remained as he stood up, turning towards his brothers. "I like it a lot." Once everyone's attention was focused, Zane took the lead. "Let's move out."


	19. Strength of a Thousand Men

**Hey everyone, you're probably thinking, what? An update on a Sunday and not Friday on Christmas night or the next Friday. Well, yea... I thought about it when I got home that night and should've done one still. Since others have. But anyway, here my update for last week and there'll be in this Friday. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Strength of a Thousand Men**

The smell of sea salt wafted into his nose as he pressed his back tightly against the side of a large metal cargo container. His eyes scanned the large shipyard, growing more tense as he noticed the sheer amount of Mandarin soldiers along the large cranes and catwalks. His breathing became quicker with nerves and fear. There must have been roughly over one hundred and fifty soldiers, way more than his own army. Of course, he had the fire power. Numbers and strength didn't matter.

The blonde teen gazed around for the location of his brothers or where the girls were being held captive. They must've been somewhere high off the ground and heavily guarded, obviously. Zane looked around until he noticed an area that looked more guarded than anywhere else. That must be it. This could be his only chance.

Inhaling deeply, he waited for a patrol guard to walk past his hiding spot before quickly rushing past them and hiding behind some more crates. It was a good thing his form fitting suit was quieter than his old one. A metal suit making loud noises would've had him caught quickly. The ice ninja glanced over the crates and saw a set of stairs leading to the upper levels. He nodded to himself and started running towards it, but the back of his head buzzed, alerting him to danger. He quickly stopped and soon an overhead lights shone down on him.

His visual sensory lenses burned at the light's intensity and he winced as a warning sign blinked in his processor. Zane's eyes finally adjusted as he tensed up. Six Mandarin soldiers stood in front of him, their weapons raised. Of course, that wasn't his only problem. The guards on the catwalk above him had their weapons trained on him too. Zane was trapped.

All was silent until a sudden slow clap broke it. Zane raised his head, watching his brother walk towards him, smirking. "Bravo. . ." Xander mused, finally ending his clap. "Bravo, Zane. You have successfully found the location of the Mandarin, even after I tried to throw J.A.R.V.I.S off course". Zane only gave him a hard stare in response. "Still, you're dim to have just wandered in without the Iron Man suit or your so called brothers. What made you come alone, with that ridiculous outfit?" Xander chuckled, watching his brother tense up. His smirk remained. "Where's this army your promised me? You said you had one. Either way, this shall be fun. Also, I must say that it's amazing that Iris can survive with the Extremis virus inside of her."

Zane gave a silent gasp. He remembered Xander saying he had used the compound on a human subject, but he hadn't expected it to be Iris. "Oh, yes," Xander continued. "She has survived well, just as her sister, and we were about to do the same with Laurie and Nya, but we'll do it after we kill you. As for the weapon we needed that Father placed inside of you, turns out we don't need to kill you for it now." The ice ninja raised an eyebrow. "We found a decommissioned A.I of Father's, a sentient being, but he's still in the process of being brought back to life." Xander gestured to the metal body off to his left. "I think he'll need your arc reactor, so we'll kill you for that and then take the encrypted data in your database."

So many scenarios ran through Zane's head at once. Xander had been experimenting on Iris and Korinna with the Extremis virus, crafting them into weapons, and creating a sentient A.I. There was so much happening. "You've gone too far, Xander!" he exclaimed, growling through his teeth. "The corruption of the Mandarin has come to an end, along with this monstrosity." He gestured towards the robotic body that was hanging on to life. "And I do have an army with me." He smirked, his face relaxing a bit as the sound of thrusters came from the distance. The Mandarin soldiers around him became more tense. "What? Did you think I was alone this entire time? you must be dimmer than I thought."

The sound of the thrusters grew louder as every soldier glanced upwards. Something flew across the night sky, metal suits of armor flying towards the shipyard and soon surrounding the soldiers from high above. Xander tensed up. He'd never seen these suits when his father was still alive. When had he created these weapons? He growled. So his younger brother had an army after all, no doubt comprised of J.A.R.V.I.S and the ninja. "Kill them all!" he demanded. The soldiers quickly shook away the fear and began glowing red with the Extremis substance, opening fire at the suits in the air and Zane.

In reaction, the nindroid quickly threw his arm over his face, allowing the arm from his suit of armor to fly over and attach itself to him. Panels of metal fanned out, shielding him from the bullets. As he waited for his chance, he watched the suits, controlled by J.A.R.V.I.S, retaliate against the Mandarin soldiers. Finally, Zane saw his chance and quickly rolled to the side, steadying himself on one knee as he held his armored arm towards the soldiers in front of him before firing his first shot. He got to his feet and twisted his body again to fire another round of pulsar energy, sweeping the soldiers off their feet.

Now was his chance.

Zane held his arm behind his back, concentrating and feeling the pieces of his armor encase his body as he ran towards the recovery squad. As they watched him approach, Zane could see that they were paranoid, but were mad enough to charge. The suit finally finished attaching itself to Zane, protecting him from his enemies heated strikes, but he quickly realized his suit would get damaged the longer he fought. He ducked under a punch and quickly fired energy from his palm, pushing an android away and spinning around to swing a kick as he fired another pulse of energy. The quicker the soldiers recovered, the more they would ruin his suit. "Flares!" Zane shouted as bright red flares fired smoke, concealing his enemies as he flew up, leaving them confused.

As he escaped to search for the Mandarin leader, he watched as the controlled suits attacked the soldiers all around the shipyard. Some fired weapons towards them while others fought close combat. Zane even watched one break into pieces and latch onto four soldiers, carrying them off the catwalks and tossing them into the ocean. He grew more paranoid as some of the soldiers used their enhanced speed and agility, getting close to bombarding the suits. They could use the heat from the Extremis to melt and destroy the suits. With his H.U.D, Zane could see the number of suits he was losing was quite significant. He had to find the Mandarin leader and end this.

"Guys, I have a reading on the girls." Jay's voice entered Zane's ear through his communicator. "They appear to be in some office or something in the middle crane. I'm going in."

"I'm right behind you," Kai said, but an alert appeared in the corner of his H.U.D, where Jay said the girls were being held. "On second thought, I'll get the guards and then you come in, Jay. Where's Cole?"

"Remember, Kai, he can't fly," Lucas reminded him. "Hopefully he's nearby."

"Don't worry, I am," Cole said. "I'm within the city limits, near the outside of Ninjago City. Just don't worry about me. You two get the girls out of there. Lucas, keep Lloyd safe and cover Zane. He has to be around somewhere. Just go."

"On it!" the fire ninja said, weaving his War Machine through the many supports of the shipyard, towards the girl's location. His heart hammered with anxiety. He had to rescue his sister and girlfriend. Kai landed on the catwalk in front of the guards, hearing his suit ring as bullets bounced off of him. He just smirked until the bullets stopped after a few seconds. "Before we begin again, who wants to step out?" Kai raised his arms, the sentry guns armed and ready to fire. He laughed as the guards fled, but stopped as he heard screaming. A hazard flew through the air. Jay was losing control of his suit and screaming.

"Ah! How do you land this thing!?" the lightning ninja screamed, flying past the red ninja and screaming louder as he barreled towards the door. Metal crashed against metal and Jay groaned, watching an alert appear on his H.U.D. He felt something land on the back of his head. "Ow!" His gaze caught three familiar faces, strapped down to metal tables. "Oh, hehe. . . hey girls." He was thankful they couldn't see his face flushed with embarrassment.

The three girls stared at the blue robotic suit, the wind ninja and samurai turning towards each other before acknowledging it. "Jay?" the two asked.

He chuckled as he pulled himself up and lowered the mask on his face, revealing himself. "Who did you expect?" he laughed. "Fritz Donngean? Now let's get you out of here so we can stop the Mandarin. Kai, be ready to take them out." His mask raised to cover his face again, allowing him to scan the restraints on the tables and then a console sitting idly nearby. "Hmm. . . it appears to be electronically locked. No matter." He flicked his wrist, extending one of the whips. It crackled to life as he whipped it at the console, cutting it clear in half with the plasma energy.

The metal clasps around her wrists snapped open and Iris collapsed to the floor in pain. Her body was so hot from the Extremis virus. She carefully pulled herself to her feet, grasping onto the table for support as she tried to calm her breathing. She felt her body ignite and watched her hands glow red as she willed herself to calm down. There was so much new energy and strength within her, but it was uncontrollable.

"Iris, come on!" Jay shouted.

Iris lifted her gaze to the blue ninja as he waved for her to move. The other two had already left. in her head, she didn't want to follow him. Iris ran past the lightning and fire ninja, making her way down the catwalk. "Guys, be careful," Kai called out. "Iris has the Extremis virus inside her and is running along the catwalks. Don't shoot! She's not a threat."

Zane heard his friend and felt his stomach weigh down with worry. He thought there might have been a chance that Xander was bluffing about injecting Iris with the virus, but it looks like he hadn't. If she was running around alone, she could get hurt. "I'm on it," he said as he started looking for the girl. "Lucas, please ensure that we are not ambushed as we go along the catwalks. I will need backup as I look for Iris."

"On it," the water ninja said, flying alongside Zane with Lloyd clinging to his back. The two ninja scanned the area for the raven haired girl as Lucas waved his way through the supports, hearing bullets bounce off of his suit. "Lame," he sighed. He quickly held his hands out and fired pressurized water towards the enemies, twisting his body to avoid a soldier latching on to him or Lloyd. "That was too close. How you holding up, Shrimp?"

"I'd be doing better if I was actually helping you and not being shot at," the green ninja said. "It's not fair that you guys are doing all kinds of cool stuff with your suits and I'm just piggy backing on you!"

"It's for you own safety, Lloyd," Lucas replied, feeling a bit annoyed. "You're staying with me, and that's final!"

"I don't care! I'm helping whether you like it or not! Eject!"

Flaps on Lucas' silver suit opened, allowing the young boy to squirm free, off of his back. Lloyd fell, his thrusters igniting and allowing him to take flight, away from Lucas. "Lloyd!" the Ninja of Water shouted as he started trying to chase after him, but there was a new weight on his back. A soldier had taken the opportunity to jump onto him. "Get off of me!"

Lloyd was already getting the hang of flying, but a warning alert appeared on his H.U.D as his limbs suddenly became immobile. He scoffed, figuring that J.A.R.V.I.S had out the suit on autopilot for his safety. "Oh, come on. That's not fair!" he shouted in frustration, trying desperately to move, but something attacked him from the side, causing the A.I to lose control and crash the suit on top of a shipping container. Lloyd groaned as he pulled himself up, removing his helmet and tossing it aside. His emerald eyes made contact with a familiar girl. "Korinna?" he inquired.

The girl in black glared at the boy in the green iron suit with her smoldering red eyes. Her hands were clenched tightly, her knuckles cracking as smoke evaporated from her fingertips. Lloyd tensed up as he watched Korinna's small frame glow red, just as the Mandarin soldiers did. Never in his life did he think that he'd fight a Mandarin follower face to face, let alone the girl who hated his guts for being a boy. Of course, the Extremis virus wasn't the only thing Lloyd had to worry about. He could tell she was being controlled by a Hypnobrai, just as his sister had in the past, just as he had been once before. Lloyd took a stance against her as she suddenly charged at him with surprising speed. "You may be a girl," he said, charging to meet her, "but I won't let you end up like my friend Rhea!"

Metal clashed against fiery flesh as the two children fought. Lloyd grew increasingly more worried as parts of his suit buckled under Korinna's impossible strength. The heat from her body would begin to melt his suit if he wasn't careful. The two continued fighting on the shipping container until Lloyd's right hook was parried, leaving his chest exposed long enough for Korinna to deliver a powerful kick to his chest. Lloyd flew off the container, but the thrusters on his back ignited and lifted him back up as he twisted his body around and pushed Korinna back with his foot. His right hand was trained on her, the gauntlet preparing to fire, but his arm was caught on a wire and he fired the blast at a crane. The hooks he'd hit snapped, releasing the large container they'd been holding up. "Oops. . ." he said, looking down at the path of the falling container. He gasped. "Uh-oh! Laurie, look out!"

The redhead stopped in her tracks at the sound of her brother's voice, Nya and Kai quickly following suit, looking around to see where Lloyd was. A large shadow was cast down upon them, prompting Laurie to look straight up, overhead, her eyes wide with fear. The container was set to crush them. Kai immediately took action, grabbing Laurie and Nya and standing over them, trying to use his body as a shield, but he was doubting if he'd actually be able to save them. As the ground shook with the sound of metal crashing against metal, Kai looked up and smirked. "Cole!"

A large metal man broke through the wall of a warehouse and sprinted across the ground. The A.I had alerted him to the danger. Luckily for his friends, he was going to make it in time. "I can't believe I have a catchphrase for this, but. . . Hulk Smash!" he shouted, catching the container just before it reached his friends. The weight surprised him, but Cole kept his footing and tossed it aside. "Jay, regroup with us. Lucas, find Lloyd and then come find us."

Lucas nodded in understanding and began searching for his cousin until four assailants jumped onto him. He tried shaking them off, but his thrusters were starting to give way. Lucas roughly landed on a large catwalk. "I'm down," he cried out, throwing his foot in a soldier's face and using his elemental powers to push the others way. "My thrusters are shot. I need some help!"

"On it!" Jay called out, flying over to the grey ninja and trying to land, but just as he had done before, Jay crashed onto the catwalk, hitting a grate in the floor that tossed some of the soldiers over the railing. The blue ninja recovered as quickly as he could, rushing over to help Lucas to his feet. "Come on, let's get you out of here and find Lloyd." He ignited his own thrusters, flying them back over to the group as Kai covered them from enemy fire. Once they landed, Lucas moved to help Kai and Cole fight off the oncoming soldiers as Jay took to the sky once more, in search of the boy in green. "Zane, where are you?" he wondered. "We need your help against the oncoming brigade. There's too many of them!"

The ice ninja turned his head towards the ground, seeing the assault on his family. They really did need his help. The remaining suits were still attacking the soldiers on the catwalks, but Zane was more preoccupied with the enemies on the ground. They looked like they needed some of the spare suits to help them. Kai was using his weapons to defend the girls. Lucas was using his elemental powers to try and push the soldiers back. Cole was throwing large chunks of debris toward them. And Jay was searching for Lloyd. This had to end. They were going to be overpowered by the Mandarin followers.

An alert popped up on his H.U.D, showing him a nearby threat. Zane felt his heart stop as the scan showed him who it was. "Iris," he gasped. He couldn't have felt more relieved after spending so long searching for her. He had to help her, had to get her and her sister out. Zane landed his suit on the other side of her, quickly clambering out of it. "Iris," he shouted again, running towards her.

The secretary stopped as she heard her name. Her heart accelerated as she noticed the ice ninja running towards her. She couldn't believe it. He'd actually survived the attack back at his father's old estate. A quivering smile formed on her thin lips. She was so grateful to see him again. "Zane," she shouted.

His smile grew wider as she finally noticed him. Zane finally realized that he felt love towards her. He wondered if she felt the same way about him. Just as the distance between them had almost closed, Zane felt his sixth sense kick in. He looked down, picking out Lily in the ground brigade. She smirked, hefting a rocket launcher up on her shoulder and firing it towards him. "Iris," Zane cried, feeling the force of the rocket's combustion throw him back.

Zane's ears rang from the blast and he managed to get onto his knees, turning to see the damage. Fire spread beneath him over the wreckage and the catwalk had given way, leaving a large gap directly in front of him. Iris was gripping onto a ruined railing for dear life, her body dangling over the fire. "Iris, give me your hand," Zane told her, trying to slowly crawl and stretch out his arm as best he could.

The girl tried to comply, tried to quickly stretch out her free hand towards Zane, but the heat from her hands was starting to melt through the ruined. "Zane, I'm slipping! But. . . but I don't want to burn you," she cried out.

He was worried, but he didn't care. He had to grab her before she fell. "I don't care," he said, trying to stretch his hand out farther. "Just take my hand!" Translucent blue light flickered along his fingers as he reached for Iris, but the light suddenly died. "Come on, Iris. . ." Her hand finally slipped and she fell to the fire below. "No!" he screamed, as he watched her frightened face disappear into the wreckage below.

Zane's heart stopped and shattered.


	20. Brother vs Brother

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update and happy new year. My first update for 2016 and with this update, I have a soundtrack for it. And it's an exciting one even. So here's the link, watch?v=dj4TAE98QBU and when you see the mark, *, and enjoy when reading. Enjoy the chapter. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Brother vs. Brother**

His world was lost and broken. His heart seemed to skip a beat, the electricity supply feeling low: a broken heart. He couldn't find his voice, couldn't find any words. The only sound he heard were his own quivering breaths. He had just witnessed the girl he had fallen in love with fall to her death. Even though he was nothing but a machine, Iris had stolen his heart. Artificial tears fell onto his cheeks.

"Oh, it's such a tragedy," his brother's voice said softly. Zane turned to see Xander land on the platform behind him. The cold glare on his face brought Zane to his feet. "I would've tried to save her too," he continued, flashing a smirk. "You weren't the only one that liked her. She was a great girl. Always by my side, but face it, Zane, it would've never worked between you two. She's a human. You're an android, like me, like all the others who follow the Mandarin. Love is such a trivial emotion. We don't use it or need it. You were just wasting your time, falling in love for nothing. She wouldn't have accepted you anyway.

Zane's brows stitched together as his dark blue eyes glared at his older brother. That wasn't true. He wasn't wasting time by experiencing love. He felt more human than anything, more than his brother at least. Cooking, laughing, love. They separated him from other androids. "You are wrong, Xander," he said. "I am nothing like you or the others. Father created us to be human, so we would not be afraid of the world around us. So that we could experience what everyone else felt. We are no different than they are."

All was silent until Xander started to laugh. "You're still blind and clueless." He removed his sweatshirt and ignited his body with the Extremis virus. "I don't care what Father created us to be. He's gone, Zane! I've won, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. Join me or die! Let the androids rule. Let us reign over all of Ninjago together."

Zane was taken aback by everything. Despite everything he'd put him through, Xander wanted him to rule next to him. He just couldn't turn away from the ninja, away from the good side. It wasn't who he was. "No," he replied, transferring into a fighting stance. "I will end this once for all, even if it costs me my life." The tension grew as the two brothers stared at each other. It had begun.

Brother versus brother.

Anger slowly began to consume them both as they remained still, waiting. Finally, Xander charged towards the ice ninja until Zane followed suit. The older brother leaped off of the railing to gain better leverage before drawing his arm back as he targeted Zane. The ice ninja calculated the trajectory of the punch and slid underneath his brother, hearing as he broke through the metal with his fist. Zane scrambled to his feet and stepped inside his Iron Man suit before charging at Xander.

Metal clashed against metal endoskeleton as the two fought against each other on the catwalk. Zane became increasingly more concerned as piece of his suit started breaking off. He had to find a better way to incapacitate Xander. He threw his leg toward his older brother's unprotected side, but it was quickly caught. Xander pinned Zane's leg to his side as he readied another punch. Zane threw his head forward, making his brother stumble. With his leg finally free, the ice ninja used his head to attack Xander yet again, but his brother stopped him, ripping the mask from his face. Zane fired his gauntlets and pushed his older brother back, removing his own head piece and using it as a blunt weapon. With his brother in a daze, the ice ninja locked his arms around him, forcing him to his knees.

Xander struggled against his younger brother, growling and igniting his body more, trying to melt Zane's armor. The nindroid was becoming more nervous, watching as his suit was growing a brighter red, the Extremis slowly compromising it, but he kept a tight grip on his brother. Xander glanced upward as he noticed the body of the sentinel twitching. It was nearly ready. "It's over, Zane," he smiled. "The sentinel is almost fully operational and soon all of Ninjago will fall to their knees. We will be victorious."

Zane turned his gaze to the metal body above them, scanning it with his eyes. Xander was right, the sentinel was starting to wake, and soon it would cause a problem. It had to be destroyed before it attacked anyone. He gazed down at the soldiers still attacking his family and saw Lily reloading the launcher she'd used earlier. Maybe he could find a way to use that. "Let's see how long you'll be victorious once I'm done with it," he said, grabbing Xander's head and throwing it into the railing.

He brought his hands together as he flew, accelerating as he fired repulsor blasts at his enemies, pushing them off of the catwalks. With a quick look down at his family, Zane planted his feet on top of a crane and pushed off, flying towards the brigade of Mandarin soldiers. "Zane!" he heard them cry out as he streamed past.

The nindroid flipped in the air, landing on the asphalt and charging towards the Mandarin soldiers. Pieces of his armor detached themselves from him as he twisted his body around to avoid the many attacks from his foes. His gauntlets parried hand to hand attacks as he fired repulsors, pushing the soldiers away as they got too close. Lily was growing nearer with each second, but as he continued going, Zane felt Iris' death weighing down on him. It was all Lily's fault. He tossed his gauntlets aside, anger blossoming inside of him. Lily took a swing at him, and he rolled underneath it, catching a shuriken as flew through the air. He ran back towards the girl, chunks of ember and metal scattering as his blow connected with Lily. She fell to her knees. "You will pay for what you have done," Zane cried, punching the android again as he took her arm and fired the rocket launcher up at the sentinel. The projectile sailed through the air and exploded, consuming the sentinel in a fiery blast.

"No!" Xander screamed as the smoke cleared, revealing just smoking scraps of metal. Nothing was left. All of his hard work had been ruined by his brother. "Zane, have you forgotten who you are?! You could've been with us! You should have joined our side and fought with us, not against us!"

"You are wrong, Xander," Zane chastised as he walked under the catwalk. "What you seek is not a crusade. It is a war that Father would not have wanted his sons to be a part of. If you still wish to rule Ninjago, you will have to go through me. What do you say?"

The darkness in Xander's eyes grew as he hopped off the catwalk, landing right across from Zane. The nindroid prepared himself as his brother flared up again, two tattoos that Zane hadn't noticed before revealing themselves. They were twin dragons, crawling from his chest up to his neck. "You've spent all of this time wondering who our leader was," Xander mused, "but you've failed to see what's always been in front of you." Zane's eyes widened as the words started sinking in. "That's right, Zane. I am the Mandarin. I've been trying to kill you since day one." His fist grew brighter as he clenched it in anger. "And this will be your final day." The brothers charged towards each other.

When they met, Zane quickly dodged his brother's attacks, though his older brother's speed was increasing with each passing second. He kept avoiding strike after strike, trying to formulate a pattern based off of his own reaction time. Xander kept favoring attacking his upper chest and right side. The ice ninja spun his body around to avoid another punch and quickly caught Xander's hand, but the burning of his brother's skin was overwhelming. Xander kicked Zane in the chest, sending him tumbling to the asphalt in confusion. As he glanced down at his left hand, he saw there weren't any burn marks. How was that possible? Zane had felt the heat.

"What's wrong, brother?" Xander asked with a smirk. Zane tensed up as Lily slowly came into his line of sight, joining Xander's side. The half of her that Zane had damaged glowed an even brighter red as she flashed a smirk. He was alone, isolated from his family as they were being ambushed by Mandarin soldiers. "Having trouble producing shields against the Extremis virus?" Xander laughed at the worried look on Zane's face. "I always knew you had that ability, those shields, before I left. Father knew that you would go back if there was an attack, and find the only clue of the Mandarin's existence. It was all in that chip, all for you. As it sits within you, it's transmitting a virus that counteracts your ability to create those special shields." Zane felt his stomach fall, quickly opening the panel in his arm and ripping the chip out. "Too late, Zane. It's already in your system. There's no way to defend yourself now. And we shall kill you slowly and painfully. I'd close my eyes if I were you." The two evil androids laughed as something struck Xander from behind.

Zane gasped as he saw the person behind Xander. Risen from the fiery wreckage where she had fallen, was Iris. She'd survived the fall, and she looked angrier than Zane had ever seen her. The secretary charged towards Xander, but Lily caught her. The ice ninja watched as the two girls fought against each other, a remote Iron Man suit suddenly flying towards them at a blinding speed. "J.A.R.V.I.S, she's friendly!" Zane informed him, but the A.I didn't respond. "J.A.R.V.I.S?" He placed a finger to his ear, feeling nothing. The earpiece was gone.

Iris saw the suit aim as she locked her arms around Lily, but she had a plan. With the suit drawing nearer, Iris kicked Lily away and ran towards Zane, using his shoulder as a platform to leap from. She twisted her body around and punched through the chest cavity of the suit, fitting her right arm into the detached gauntlet as she landed. Her light brown eyes glared at Lily as she kicked a rocket towards her, twisting around to aim a repulsor blast. "This is for making my sister one of you!" she screamed, firing the energy pulse at the rocket. The android disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Xander shielded his eyes from the heat and waved his hand to try and clear the smoke away. His power source dropped as he saw a charred mark where his love had once stood. "Lily!" he cried, turning towards the secretary. "You! I took you in because of your past and gave you and your sister a sanctuary. In return, you ruined everything I loved. Now, I'll kill you, and Zane can endure the same pain."

"No, she will not die," Zane said, catching his older brother's attention as he got to his feet. "It is your own fault that Lily is dead. Your lust for power affected her, twisted her into something she wasn't. All the attacks, the times she tried to kill me, that wasn't really her. It was you. Open your eyes, brother, and realize your mistakes! Father would not have wanted you to become the Mandarin. Mistakes happen, and this battle, with us on opposite sides, is one of them."

Xander huffed angrily. It was his fault that Lily was dead? Becoming the Mandarin had been a mistake? None of it had been a mistake. His drive for power wasn't a mistake. Zane was a mistake. "You're wrong," he growled. "I have everything just within my grasp and you're the only thing standing in my way. This is where it ends."

 ***** Xander glared at him as he charged. Zane just stood still, feeling as if time was slowing down around him. His brother's glow brightened with each step and Zane took a deep breath. Thanks to the virus in his systems, he had nothing to protect him from the heat. Part of him urged for him to move, but Zane remained tall and held his right arm out. He even ignored Iris' protest.

A flash of light surrounded the ice ninja and he blinked, finding himself somewhere new. Snow and trees surrounded him. The Birchwood Forest. Images flashed by, events of the past. There was him with his brother; laughing, talking, playing, and even fighting. Zane could hear his name being called. He turned around felt his breath catch. It was his father, before he'd passed away. "You were built to protect those that cannot protect themselves, and your brother needs it too." Julien raised his left hand and held it out towards his son. "He's scared, Zane, and he needs your help. Do it for him, and for me." Zane was confused, wondering how his father was standing before him. A single tear fell down his cheek, but he nodded, reaching out for his father's hand as the scene around his disappeared.

His hand made contact with his brother's heart, and Zane heard Xander gasp. A force was slowly trying to push them away from each other, he could feel it. Xander grabbed for his heart, gasping as a newly found energy coursed through him. Zane lost his grip on his brother and fell to his knees, feeling the heat and energy from Xander course through his own body, making him gasp for air. Xander smirked to this and used his free hand to grab Zane's head. The Ninja of Ice cried out in pain as the skin over his left eyes started breaking apart, revealing his metal endoskeleton to the world. Zane slumped to the ground, writhing in pain. The power and heat was too much to handle, but he couldn't let that stop him now. He grabbed Xander's shoulder and used it to pull himself up.

Translucent blue light engulfed his body as he stood tall, an unknown force pushing Xander away from him. Xander was confused, staring at the shields he'd worked so hard to ruin. "No. . . it's impossible," he gasped quietly. "How?"

"Nothing is impossible when you push yourself to reach your goal," Zane said. "As a ninja, I never give up. Ninja never give up, brother." He walked towards his older brother and grabbed onto his heart, sending his renewed energy into him.

Xander growled as he felt Zane's energy slowly overcoming his own. In a final strike, he kicked his legs out, tripping Zane. As the nindroid landed in a pile of rubble, Xander pounced on him, wrapping his hands around his throat. "Just die already!" he screamed, feeling the unknown energy charging in his chest. Zane screamed as he felt the same energy working its way through his Arc Reactor.

There was a release of a large amount of energy that ricocheted with a loud bang.

Zane's heart flickered with blue sparks as his breathing grew shallower. Warning and error messages flashed in his eyes. Once he felt the pain subsiding and the messages vanished from his sight, the ice ninja tiredly pulled himself to his knees and threw a coughing fit. As he did, his eyes traveled to Xander's chest to gasp. His heart was built similar to the repulsors used in the Iron Man gauntlets. The android struggled to breathe as he placed a hand over his chest, staring back at his younger brother with wide eyes. Zane felt petrified to move as he could see through his older brother's chest where his heart once was. "Z-Za-ne. . ." he breathed, falling back.

Zane gasped, rushing over to his fallen brother. "Xander!"


	21. Forgiven

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. Well I hate to say it, but this chapter is the second to last chapter of the story. But stories have to wrap, I know I say this every other story so you get the idea. So enjoy.**

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 **Chapter 20: Forgiven**

Fear clouded his mind and his eyes were wide as he had his brother lying in his arms. Oh what has he done!? He fired a repulse beam from his chest at his brother's power source to have him living without power. It worried him desperately to scan around for any sources of the energy source, but he couldn't find any traces of the disc. Had he destroy it completely, his brother's life line. Oh what had he done now!? "Xander?" he spoke to him quietly.

Xander's eyes glanced upward to meet with his younger brother's dark blue eyes as he struggled to breathe and run power through his systems. He gazed at the hole in his chest to stare back at Zane to try and mutter some words. And he kept trying with the will power he had left. "Z-Za-ne..." he breathed quietly and lightly brushed the metal endoskeleton of his face.

Fear clung into him more frightfully to gently grab his hand to move it back to his chest. He scanned his body to feel nauseous and worried deeply to see his power levels droppings; like the blood pressure of a patient. "Save your energy, brother!" he said hesitantly. "Please keep saving your energy until I get you some power and a new Arc Reactor." He felt the artificial tears forming to try and prevent himself from crying. "I'm sorry and didn't mean to do this!"

His brother stared into his eyes to only frown and look away. There wasn't any time left and he knew it. He drew in a deep breath to let it out slowly. "No..." he sighed. "Th-There isn't any ti-time left or an-anything you ca-can do." Zane's eyes became wide to feel more scared. "I-I've used the Ex-Extremis for years after F-Father created your Ar-Arc Reactor. M-My body is used to the co-compound and won't react to an-anything else." He drew in a deep breath to feel a faint surge of energy waver in him. "Th-this is the end for me, brother..."

Zane soon felt the tears escaping to this to hold him tightly as he cried softly. He couldn't believe himself that he had done this. He had killed his older brother by mistake. Xander was the one trying to kill him, but it was now switched; their father would be ashamed of this. Another surge of energy passed through to have him shudder and take a shaky breath. "Za-ne, wh-at was it th-at Fa-the-r en-cry-pted you wi-th? If it wa-sn't the sent-inel, th-en what? Wh-at was his gre-atest creation?"

Crying still, the Ninja of Ice gazed into his sorrow eyes to nod as he wanted to fulfill his final wish. His eyes enlightened to project a holograph of his databanks and scanned through each other data file to sigh in the end as he found nothing unusual. Sighing, he closed his eyes to end the projection and turned back at his brother. "There is nothing that you needed." he replied to have realization flash in his eyes. "Your eyes must've fooled you to think I had something. But Xander, the greatest creation Father invented was us." Xander's eyes became wide. "He created us to be his sons and we were the greatest sons and siblings to him. It was us this entire time."

Xander looked away to the response to realize it now as he thought it over to feel tears cascading down his cheeks. It wasn't a weapon or anything their Father created to have or use. It was him and Zane this entire time as the greatest creation. How dumb and blind he was to feel guilt and regret everything? For trying to kill his brother and killed innocent lives for the tyrant as the Mandarin. For a final effort to fix his mistake he caused, he opened the panel in his arm to type on the keys and closed the panel to look away at the soldiers he created. Zane glanced at the soldiers to see what was going to happen.

One by one, each soldier staggered to stand still and the reddish glow of their bodies vanishing as they fell to the ground. Even the ones on the catwalks fell as well. Zane realized his brother had the master control on all of them than free will and he powered them down. "The Mandarin is over..." the android said quietly and tiredly. "All except for three. Melody, Kiwi, and James, I knew they didn't take part of this and truthfully I didn't want them hurt. I want them to live on and provide help they can to Ninjago, just like how I created them to be. And I want you to take care of Father's company." He drew in a deep breath as the last of his power levels were finished. "Please do this for us. I'm sorry for everything I've done."

The tears continued to fall from his eyes when part of his face was missing to have the endoskeleton shown. But his lips quivered as he tried to prevent himself from crying out loud. He looked in his older brother's eyes to nod. "I will try and do this for all of us." he cried. "For us. And for Father. And I forgive you, Xander." Xander smiled to him softly to tiredly close his eyes and his smile disappeared as he laid limp in the ice ninja's arms.

His lips quivered more to have his tears fall faster to hold onto his brother tightly to give him one last hug as he cried softly to mourn for him. The Ninja watching the event unfold felt sorrow and pity for the white ninja to mourn for the nindroid. Zane finally eased on crying to look at his brother in his arms. "Be safe and be with Father, brother." he said and gently laid him down on the ground and rested his arms on his lap. He gazed at his brother and turned to Iris as she cried as well for him to walk over to her. "Iris..."

The girl turned to the nindroid at the mention of her name to smile softly and started to walk over to him. But before she took a step, she stopped as she remembered something about herself with the Extremis and betraying him before to become worried. She became more worried as he walked over to her and tried to grab her hand. "No," she flinched to move her hand away. "I don't want to hurt you or-or-or burn you. I can't control this stuff or anything."

The blonde teen was taken aback to this, but only smiled softly to her. "And you won't," he said calmly. "Trust me." He watched her look at him unsettling and gently reached for her hand. A small shield cased around his hand as he took a gently hold of it to smile softly as a small one formed on her face as well. "Iris. . .I-I. . ." He paused as he couldn't think of anything to say, but remembered what Xander told him. He was a nindroid and she was human and him falling in love seem new still. Yet he understood the concept of love, he didn't know how to express it. "I-" Before he could find his words, he felt his face gently being grabbed and warm lips pressed against his.

His heart hummed loudly to this affection of kissing as he never felt this before. It felt new and unfathomable to him. He felt his chest swelling with energy to become worried that he'll fire another repulse shot to quickly pull away and felt his power source calm down. He felt relieved as he didn't harm her and looked into her light brown eyes to see her look upset a little. "I'm sorry about that Iris," he said to grab her hands. "It's because. . ." He didn't know what to say now.

A sigh escaped from the girl as she understood him to lean herself onto his chest. "I know what you're going to say and. . . I'm sorry too." she replied for him to have Zane gaze down at her. "After I fell, I heard Xander scowling you about me and I'm sorry. I just never knew you had feelings for me." Tears began to form in her eyes. "I. . . I actually have feelings for you too, you were there for me back at the estate when I was scared for Korinna and I'm glad you never gave up on your promise." She sniffled a little as the tears fell. "I love you, Zane, but with me as a human and you an android, I'll age and you'll live forever and I think it'll be difficult for both of us. I'll have a special place for you in my heart, I'm sorry, Zane."

Zane had to feel his eyes forming with tears, but didn't shed any though. This was what he wanted to say word to word as it was true. The was what Xander meant before. He sighed and burrowed his face into her hair to hold onto her lightly. "No matter what happens," he said softly. "I'll have a special place for you in my heart as well. I love you, Iris." and pecked her cheek.

A small quivering smile formed on her lips to push herself to him to feel safe with him. And as she felt safe, she felt her body become cool to gaze at her arms to see the reddish glow of her body fade away until she no longer felt the heat. She could only smile widely to this. Even Zane became surprised to this to smile as well. She had managed to control the substance in her. But is there a way to cure her? "Rissy!" a cheerful child cried out happily.

The two turned to the voice to have Iris gasp happily to release her hands from Zane to open her arms widely. Her little sister rushed into her open arms to hold onto her tightly as she lifted her up to cry happily as she had Korinna back. And she didn't have her body glowing as well. The ice ninja watched the sisters reunite together to have his smile remained on his face and turned as his family met over to him. But his eyes traced away to sigh softly as he stared at the body of his brother. Sisters are forever reunited, but brothers were now forever separated.

"You going to be all right, Zane?" Nya asked as she walked over to the nindroid. "It was an accident. But I'm sure Jay and I can revive and fix him for you."

Sighing, he shook his head to walk over and knelt next to his body. He gazed around him to see the Mandarin flag in the rubble in front of him to grab it and laid it over his body to sigh and felt the tears forming again. "There is nothing you can do," he said quietly. "His body has been exposed to the Extremis for a long time and nothing will help him. That's what he told me and I did a lot of damage around his chest. I appreciate your offer, Nya. But nothing will help him or me." The news of this struck the Ninja to pity him more to bow their heads in respect for him. And this made the tears fall from his eyes.

The sound of thrusters caused everyone to see an Iron Man suit land near Zane. And they knew it was J.A.R.V.I.S as everyone was present than the A.I. "I'm sorry for your loss, sir." he said as he bowed the head of the suit. "Xander was a great student when he was built as you are. But I hate to do this at a bad time, but I have some good news." This perked the blonde teen's interest. "While Lloyd was having this squabble with Korinna, I snuck from behind to obtain a blood sample from her and have found a cure against the Extremis in both her and Iris. All I needed was the electronic charged gas of your power source that powers the Arc Reactor since this and your brother's were negatively charged against each other and with a higher dose, it rids the compound for good. And it'll be safe for them as well."

This intrigued him now along with everyone else to the news of a cure for the Extremis compound. Even large smiles formed on Iris and Korinna's face to the news of being normal again. He felt grateful for the A.I to develop a cure. But he couldn't say the same for his brother as he turned back to the body with a frown. "And...what can we do for Xander?" he sighed.

The A.I stared at the body to carefully lift up the android's body in his arms. "I'll take him back to Spark Tower to be prepare for his memorial." said J.A.R.V.I.S to start opening the flaps for the thrusters. "And the other androids, they're decommissioned and will be stored and locked away for good. It's too dangerous to destroy for still having the Extremis in their systems. I and some drones will be back for them." The thrusters activated on his back took flight with the body of Xander Julien.

Sighing again, he watch the metal controlled suit carry away with his brother to turn to Iris as she walked over to him with her sister in her arms. He even smiled as she took his hand and gently squeezed it to comfort him. An idea came to him as the battle of the Mandarin is over to grab the missing ear piece to place it back in his ear. "J.A.R.V.I.S, activate Protocol Sixty-Four." he commanded.

"Sir, are you sure you want to commence this with the remaining suits and your friend's?" the A.I wondered curiously.

He turned to his elemental brethren to see them nod and nodded to himself. "I'm sure," he replied. "The war of the Mandarin is over and Ninjago doesn't need Iron Legion as well. Plus as my sensei told me to never let technology overcome my training as a ninja and Spinjitzu Master. We also don't want any foes to use them as weapons if we store them back at the Birchwood Forest. I want to keep Ninjago safe incase these are stolen."

"As you wish, sir, I'll take care of the one I have after I reach Spark Tower."

The remaining Iron Man suits hovering around the Ninja were soon encrypted with a new command to turn and fly high and over the ocean. And once they reached a safe distance, each one combusted to destroy the metal, weapons, and power sources that operated them. Zane smiled to this, but felt a bit guilty he was destroying his father's work to sigh a little on them. The suits that the ninjas had ejected them from the compartments and took flight while Cole's took off into the ocean to be destroyed as well. "See ya, Whiplash!" Jay called out while waving farewell to his suit. And the blue suit waved back to him. "It was great fighting with you."

Zane had to chuckle to this elemental brother's antics as his and the other suits were being destroyed. And to them all, it even looked like fireworks in festivals and even celebrating a new year. As the sparks cascaded down from the sky after each suit, Iris turned to him to peck his cheek. "I think you done the right thing." she said to him. "Your father and brother will be proud of you."

The Ninja of Ice had to nod and smile at her to turn to the sky. "I know they will be."


	22. Epilogue: The Falcon Leads

**Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. This is it. The final chapter for our Ninja of Ice with his adventure as Iron Man. But I doesn't mean I'll stop with the updates of other stories I'm working on. But enjoy the chapter. And I have a soundtrack to go with this. So the link is, watch?v=DO8iQPSUnm4 and when you see the mark, enjoy it. Thank you for the reviews and staying with the story. And big thanks to my sister, KaitouKiwi with the updates.**

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 **Epilogue:** **The Falcon Leads**

Crickets chirped through the night and the smell of sea salt wafted into the nindroid's olfactory sensors, prompting him to open his eyes from his meditation. The moon and stars shone directly above him, encasing him in a cool glow of light, the chill of the wind brushing his neck. He shivered briefly, being dressed in only a white long sleeve shirt and jeans. He couldn't focus on meditating any longer and pulled himself off the tatami mat before walking towards the ship's bow. He leaned against the railing, staring down at the ruined lot where his father's estate had once stood, leaving him feeling more despaired. Why hadn't Jay fixed the Bounty's engines yet? Staying here was making him feel more depressed than he already was.

A week after the death of his brother and the end of the war, Zane had experience and overwhelming sense of loneliness. He was the only Julien left in Ninjago. Of course, he wasn't the only android anymore since he'd found James, Melody, and Kiwi, but the isolation was still there. He could tell his family was worried about him, Xander had died in his arms, but Zane knew he shouldn't feel as lonely as he felt. He still had people that cared for him. But that had been his biological brother. After the loss of Xander, the Arc Reactor had migrated away from the center of Zane's chest and rested back in its original position. He sighed and rested his chin on his arms, staring down at the sea.

The sound of rustling and squawking drew the white ninja's attention to the bow. He took the short trip up the stairs and smiled. On the dragon figurehead, a slender figure was perched. The feathered, dark blue-grey robotic falcon gazed at Zane with golden eyes, twisting its head around in curiosity. "Hello, old friend," he greeted the falcon as it picked at its feathers, mimicking an actual bird. "Where have you disappeared to for almost a week? I was starting to worry about you." The falcon gazed at him, suddenly fluttering its wings and soon circled the Bounty. Zane studied his feathered friend with a raised brow until something dawned on him. The falcon always knew exactly where to take him. Lloyd's treehouse fortress with the Hypnobrai, the Bounty, his home in the Birchwood Forest. It must have had something new to show him.

Maybe it was good news?

*Without hesitation, and without telling his family he was leaving, the Ninja of Ice leapt over the railing and pursued the falcon. Where was it leading him this time?

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" _I never knew much about my brother, nor did I remember him after we reunited," Zane said to the press at Spark Industries. He didn't bother with the flashes of cameras temporarily blinding him. This was a memorial for his brother, and he didn't know exactly what to address regarding him. "But my memories of him have slowly resurfaced. Xander was my older brother, but I never knew he was the Mandarin until the very end. He was too blinded by power to ever realize what he meant to me. And, now, I am the last Julien, heir of Spark Tower and Spark Industries."_

 _The chorus of news reporters shouted question after question at Zane, flashing their cameras in his face. He shook the sudden blindness away and raised a hand to end the frenzy. He pointed at one of the reporters to start answering questions. "Since you are the final Julien, are you going to take over Spark Industries?" Gayle Gossip asked. "Or are you going to shut it down?"_

 _Zane paused and thought it over. He didn't know the first thing about running a company, but he didn't want to close it and let hundreds lose their jobs. He had a responsibility to protect Ninjago from threats and danger. His dark blue eyes glanced away from the crowd and landed on Iris as she sat on a chair next to his. A smile crossed his face as something came to him. "No, I won't be closing Spark Industries, but I also won't be running it," he replied, leaving the crowd confused. "I don't know much about running a company, but I know someone who does. She was my brother's secretary for a long time." Iris looked up at him curiously. "The new C.E.O of Spark Industries will be Miss Iris Rock."_

 _The once secretary was baffled. She couldn't believe what Zane had just said, but the media was now swarming her with questions. She couldn't find her voice, but sheepishly smiled as Zane lead her to the podium. "Thank you," she said quietly._

* * *

The dead, fallen leaves of autumn crunched underneath Zane as he ran through the Forest of Tranquility. His eyes continued to dart upward, keeping an eye on the falcon while watching where he was running. Zane never felt fatigued as he just ran, trying to keep pace with his feathered friend. Where was it leading him? They'd started out heading north and now they were going south-east. Where. . . ?

The falcon finally stopped and perched on a branch, squawking to let Zane know where he was. The ice ninja gazed around and saw nothing, but looked up at the bird to it focusing on something. He followed the falcon's gaze and found a knot in a nearby tree. He walked over to it and reached his hand inside, feeling around until his fingers brushed against something. As he pulled it out, he raised a brow and stared at the golden colored three by three grid pattern plate. "Is this what you wanted to show me?" he wondered, turning to his friend. The falcon did a small dance and soon took flight again, circling above the treeline. The nindroid had a suspicious feeling that it wanted to show him more. He placed the grid piece in his pocket and took off running again.

* * *

" _I really wish you hadn't done this," Iris said to Zane as the two stood on the roof of Spark Industries. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow as the two gazed at the beauty. A slightly chilled wind caused the new C.E.O to shiver and turn to Zane who was mesmerized by the city skyline. "I really don't know anything about being a C.E.O, just like you. I'm going to fail."_

 _He pried his eyes away from the sun and stared into Iris' worried brown eyes. He took her hands and smiled. "You will not fail, I can promise you that," he stated. "Xander told me that Kiwi, James, and Melody are still alive and they are going to help you. James is well studied with the marketing and Kiwi has always been part of the engineering and science department of the company. As for Melody, she would be happy to watch over Korinna since she is studying to become a pediatrician. You will not fail as long as you have people you trust help you. Spark Tower is yours to take care of."_

 _She could feel her anxiety rising, her heart accelerating. It was a good thing that the Extremis had been purged from her body, or else she'd probably have a meltdown, literally. Running Spark Tower was a big task, but Zane was right. She had people and androids to help her. "But still," she continued, "this is too much."_

" _I know it is," Zane agreed, "but I know you can do this. And, to help you out more, I did something that will make you and Korinna happy." Iris gazed at him now. "I made a call to Ninjago Security and discussed a certain man's innocence . . . let's just say that Markus Rock will be released sometime next week, and he will be with you and Korinna."_

 _Her eyes grew wide with glistening tears as a quivering smile formed on her face. She lunged into Zane's arms, wrapping him in a tight embrace. She couldn't hold back her tears of joy. Her cousin was coming back into her and her sister's lives. She cried happily on Zane's shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."_

* * *

Rocks tumbled as he carefully slid down another rocky slope, preparing to jump from a ledge to another mountain. Once he reached the ledge, he quickly bounced off of it and leapt over the chasm below, performing Spinjtzu to help him gain altitude. Soon, he was hugging the rocky wall. Above him was the falcon, circling and landing. Zane realized something important was at the top, quickly scaling the wall to reach the ledge the falcon was situated on. He pulled himself up and looked around for any clues until his eye caught something glistening in the moonlight. Below him, he saw something golden in the crevice of the ground. Zane dropped to his knees and pulled out another golden gridded plate. He pocketed it as he heard the falcon squawk and take flight once more.

* * *

" _You going to be alright with everything, Zane?" Laurie asked. The Ninja gathered around together on the deck of the Desinty's Bounty because they knew that Zane needed comfort. Yet, he seemed fine, a small smile on his face. They were worried about him. "But, seriously, are you going to be alright? Everything that happened with Xander and just recently at Spark Industries. . ."_

 _The soft smile remained on Zane's face as he thought of everything he'd done to make sure Iris and Korinna had a future while he remained a ninja, but he sighed lightly as remembered the events at the shipyard. "I am fine," he replied. "I never meant for this to happen, and though I will not forgive myself, I will still be alright. I know I have made the right choice. I have been destined to be a ninja, it is my job and oath to protect Ninjago. As my father once said, I was created to protect those that cannot protect themselves. I think I have proven that by trying to protect Xander from ruining himself more. I will miss him as much as I do my father."_

 _Small smiles formed on the Ninja's faces as they saw where Zane's heart had guided him. Even Sensei Wu was proud of his student. "We're proud of what you did and that you're sticking with the team," Cole said. "You know where your heart lies, and it's with being a brother and a ninja."_

" _Not to mention that it'd be boring if you were gone," Jay added, receiving a smack on the head from Kai. "Ow! What did I say?!"_

 _Kai ignored him and turned ti the blonde teen, smiling at him. "You may have lost Xander, but don't forget that we're your brothers too," he smiled. "We're elemental brothers and sisters, we protect each other. Iron sharpens iron, but family sharpens family."_

 _Zane nodded with a smirk. "As always," he said, "I am Zane Julien, the Ninja of Ice, and I have taken an oath to be a Spinjiztu Master with my family."_

* * *

The sand underneath his feet shifted as he slid down the dune. The smell of sea salt wafted into his nose as he ran up the slope, seeing the ocean come into view. He carefully slid down and rushed over to the shoreline. The full moon shone above him, illuminating him as he searched for the falcon or another golden plate. The falcon gently landed on his shoulder, talons softly gripping the fabric of his shirt as he scanned for another piece. His foot tapped on something hard and he dropped to his knees, digging in the wet sand until he fished out the third grid plate. Something caused Zane to pull out the other two he'd found and all three magnetically connected together, a golden Rubix's cube.

Zane studied the cube, seeing strange markings on certain squares while others were blank. His eyes scanned them, realizing they were forming a symbol in his processor. He started shifting and turning the magnetic cube to form the symbol carefully. He stopped when the symbol had been formed and he stared at it quizzically: the ancient Ninjago symbol for "Brothers".

His brow raised curiously as he stared at the symbol, tracing his finger along the lines as if he was writing it until it started to glow. The cube split open from the center. Zane was surprised as he realized the box was something his father must've created. He noticed something inside and pulled it out. Confusion swam through his head as he stared at the small program chip and turned to the falcon. It squawked, turning its head sideways as its eyes glowed brightly.

A strange light spilled from its eyes, displaying a holograph of a person, flickering until the image finally cleared. Standing in front of Zane, was his father, riddled with age in his pressed shirt and khaki pants, a lab coat draped over his body. Zane couldn't find his voice as the hologram shot him a smile. "Zane, I knew one day you would find these pieces and you'd want to know why I made sure you'd forgotten about your brother," his father said. "This is a recorded message I programmed in the falcon for when the time was right and you were ready for the truth. Honestly, I did everything to protect you." This made the ice ninja raise a brow. "Xander was slowly becoming dangerous from having the Arc Reactor installed. When he created his own Arc Reactor with a dangerous compound I had created, it had an effect that could counteract yours. As the years passed, the compound somehow consumed him. He was dangerous around you, using strange abilities to cut items like plasma. In that moment, I realized he was the man in my nightmares, why I'd spent many nights creating the Iron Man suits."

"I'm sure by now you are starting to remember him, or he's gone," he continued sadly. "However, in your hands are his old schematics and programming that I had downloaded before he lost himself. He shall be normal again and he'll need a new body. You two were the best creations, and sons, that I could have ever had and I shall miss you both. Take care, Zane and Xander." The hologram disappeared.

Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he cried softly, staring down at the chip. He was happy to know the truth of not remembering Xander while he wiped away the tears. He figured the Extremis compound had corrupted him, but he was annoyed that his father had made him forget Xander just to protect him. Of course, he forgave him as he stared down at the chip. Xander's programming chip was right there, in his hand. His smile quivered as fresh tears formed. Zane stared at the ocean with his falcon. "Someday, brother," he said quietly. "Someday, we'll be reunited with Father again. I sense it."


End file.
